A Herd of Unicorns, A Tribe of Goats: Rise of the Online Sales Experts

When you hear “OSC Unicorn” I bet a couple of names come to mind. These Online Sales Concierges have quickly become the industry gold standard, and they’re who we strive to hire when looking to develop a killer online buying experience. Never talked about: The OSC GOAT.


 

OSC Goats have been here for years, often under the radar, pushing this industry forward.  What are the qualities that make an OSC, “The Greatest Of All Time”?  This is a question our Chief OSC, Shari Morton, posed to someone who certainly has carried that title for years: Ingrid Prince. Ingrid shared her take on what an OSC GOAT truly is.

Tom Brady, Mohammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, Babe Ruth were and are the GOATs of their time.  Those that have been called a GOAT are known to have achieved greatness in the role or position that they’re in.  They are known to be the greatest of all time.

 In the online sales world, we equate this to be the elusive unicorn. Why? Because finding the right Online Sales Counselor a.k.a an OSC is very difficult to find. They are the OSCs that take the role and are super performers. They are overachievers, converters, nurturers, they have low missed call rates, they connect with customers, they’ve mastered the use of their CRM, they’re appointment setters (but not just appointment setters) and they’ve become the expert in their organization when it comes to knowing the communities, the homes, and availability.

So what does it take to be a GOAT OSC? I pondered the meaning of this acronym “Greatest Of All Time” for quite some time and here are five qualities that I’ve come up with:    

1.    Passion – You have to be passionate about what you are doing.  When I was an OSC, never did I think I was going to be so passionate about it. What I am passionate about is helping people achieve the dream of homeownership. The salesperson in me loves finding the perfect home for my customers. Even though I did not get to take the sale to contract and “sell” them the home, I loved being a part of it.

2.    Resilience – Resilience is the key to surviving being an OSC.  Yes, surviving!  Being an OSC can get mundane, but it can also demand a lot out of you. Mundane in the fact that you’re doing the same thing day in and day out. Logging into your CRM, working new leads, working old leads, answering phones, scheduling appointments, hosting events, repeat. Oh, and did I mention being on call 7 days a week and taking minimal off time? You have to be able to push through the mental and emotional fatigue.  Let’s also not forget the burnout that the position can have.

3.    Consistent – Consistency is one of the keys to success.  When you’re consistent, you’ll almost always achieve or exceed your sales goals.  It’s important to understand your sales cycle and sales process.  Consistently working leads, scheduling appointments, and nurturing the lead bank.

4.    Goal Oriented – If you look at the list of GOATs that I mentioned above, each and every one of them had goals.  Defining goals allows you to determine the path to achieve it.  The GOAT OSC doesn’t only have one goal – they have multiple goals.  Professional, personal, health, and financial goals.  And they don’t stop once they achieve it.  They create new goals to achieve. Always striving for betterment.

5.    Innovator – The GOAT OSC is a natural innovator.  One that is constantly thinking outside the box and paving new ways of how to improve not only the customer experience but also in technology, marketing, systems, processes – you name it, they’re thinking about it.

Being an OSC is not for the faint of heart.  It’s at times, thankless.  Some find the role to be in competition with onsite sales professionals while others can’t determine if it falls under sales or marketing or both.  It’s exciting to see how the homebuilding industry is changing the way it views Online Sales Counselors and more builders are understanding that it is a vital part of their sales program.  Being an OSC is like being a part of a secret society that people think they know but really have no idea about.  We still have a long ways to go when it comes to supporting OSCs and it starts with leadership.  Paving the way for the OSC to thrive and do what they do best is a secret sauce.  Allow them to innovate, provide support and training, and allow them to have a voice.  When you create a space for greatness you’ll have a greater chance of finding that GOAT.

 

Written By

Shari Morton & Ingrid Prince

Shared Drive | Co-Founders