User Experience

Do you need more traffic? Or the right traffic?

August 14, 2014 | Dennis O'Neil

All marketing budgets have their limits. I wish we could do it all. There are so many amazing opportunities in digital marketing, deciding where best to utilize those limited resources is not an easy decision. The best answers can only be given based on a personalized review of circumstances and goals, but the question is so […]

Is a Bounce Good or Bad?

July 29, 2014 | Dennis O'Neil

We’re now in our 4th year of Builder Web Stats reporting, and this may be the last time we include a global bounce rate statistic. After logging more than 10,000,000 page views, the ability to learn something valuable from this number alone may not be possible. “How does our bounce rate compare with other builders?” […]

This is How Home Builders Succeed with Live Chat

April 4, 2013 | Dennis O'Neil

Live chat can be a valuable tool to convert more website browsers into conversations. However, just like any conversation tool, it’s only as good as the conversationalist. Clients who have good salespeople at the other end of the chat request, by far, see the best results from the tool. I get asked a lot about […]

Every Sales Counselor is an Online Sales Counselor: Part Three

December 10, 2012 | Dennis O'Neil

Continuing the conversation around the topic of onsite and online sales counselors, I recently spoke with Jeff Shore about this issue. This video originally appeared on newhomesalesleaders.com.

Every Sales Counselor is an Online Sales Counselor: Part Two

October 29, 2012 | Dennis O'Neil

Part One of this series led to quite the discussion and debate. If you’ve not read that post, I recommend you start here first. In this part, I will continue to clarify and expand on my thoughts in hopes the discussion will continue. First, this discussion may be new, but I outlined the underlying issues […]

Every Sales Counselor is an Online Sales Counselor: Part One

October 17, 2012 | Dennis O'Neil

I recognize the ever growing popularity of the Online Sales Counselor role. I first saw it nearly ten years ago, and it continues with a slow and steady climb. It has always been my feeling, albeit unpopular, that the Online Sales Counselor role is a short-term solution at best, and at worst, a dependency drug […]

Surprise! Lame Email Responses get Lame Results.

May 8, 2012 | Dennis O'Neil

Give more than you receive. If someone spent the time to complete that contact form or your website, spend more than 5 seconds on a lame email response. Always expect that you will, and should, give more to prospects and customers than you will receive from them. It seems like a common sense statement, but […]

There’s a Difference between “Packaged” and “Canned”

January 24, 2012 | Dennis O'Neil

Packaged offerings benefit the buyer. Canned offerings benefit the seller. When an offering is packaged, it’s done so with the buyer in mind. The package is a combination of products or services that affords the buyer additional value, often trading a little bit of decision making freedom for simplicity and that increased value. The buyer […]

Why You Might be Wasting Your Time with Email Marketing.

June 24, 2011 | Dennis O'Neil

Its no secret I’m a big fan of what opportunities the mobile web presents for home builders. What I didn’t quite expect was a recent wake-up call on how closely email marketing is linked to mobile. We recently sent out an email promotion for an apartment management client. The day after the email went out […]

Ignore the Mobile Internet at Your Own Peril

January 12, 2011 | Dennis O'Neil

I’m not normally one for drama, but I’m not sure the message is really reaching the industry. In the past I’ve written about home builder mobile marketing and how to use Foursquare for real estate. Thankfully, a group called Mobile Future has put together a great “Did You Know?” type video with some sobering stats […]

Why Do Your Listings Look Like Everyone Else’s? Try a Social Listing

January 11, 2011 | Dennis O'Neil

Generally speaking, most builders, salespeople, and real estate brokers I speak with agree that the last thing the Internet needs is another home search directory. Each time a new directory is introduced, it creates a new burden for the builder (focus, monitoring, plus a new SEO competitor). Ask a consumer if the Internet needs another […]

“90% of Home Shoppers, Blah, Blah, Blah…” Moving On.

September 10, 2010 | Dennis O'Neil

“More home shoppers start their search online than ever before.” “Over 90% of buyers use the Internet.” This is not news. This is not new information. The number of home shoppers who start their home search online has been above 80% for years. This is not news. Even early numbers in 2000 showed that 40% […]

What Makes Start-up’s Different from Traditional Business and Why You Should Think Like One.

July 13, 2010 | Dennis O'Neil

I am regularly amazed at how difficult some companies make it to business with them, or simply get a taste of their product or service. Traditional businesses are terrified a potential customer/client will find a way to take advantage of them; a way to skirt their beloved system and get something for free. They setup […]

Social Marketing is Providing Customer Service BEFORE Someone is a Customer

September 30, 2009 | Dennis O'Neil

While I’m far from a major real estate investor, with a partner I own a vacation rental property that is about 3 hours from my home. For many reasons, including the shear distance and weekly activity, we pay a management company to run the day-to-day for us. Overall, I’m happy with the job the management […]

Who are You Changing For? You, or Your Customer?

August 26, 2009 | Dennis O'Neil

If we agree that happy customers are a necessity for long-term business success, shouldn’t long term planning be based around that directive? I recently attended REBarCamp in Philadelphia. Okay, so it wasn’t really that recent, but I’ve had some thoughts stirring since I’ve left. I attended a session there titled “The Future Brokerage.” The topic […]

User Experience

Do you need more traffic? Or the right traffic?

Is a Bounce Good or Bad?

This is How Home Builders Succeed with Live Chat

Every Sales Counselor is an Online Sales Counselor: Part Three

Every Sales Counselor is an Online Sales Counselor: Part Two

Every Sales Counselor is an Online Sales Counselor: Part One

Surprise! Lame Email Responses get Lame Results.

There’s a Difference between “Packaged” and “Canned”

Why You Might be Wasting Your Time with Email Marketing.

Ignore the Mobile Internet at Your Own Peril

Why Do Your Listings Look Like Everyone Else’s? Try a Social Listing

“90% of Home Shoppers, Blah, Blah, Blah…” Moving On.

What Makes Start-up’s Different from Traditional Business and Why You Should Think Like One.

Who are You Changing For? You, or Your Customer?

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