OSC of the Month | Donna Connell

Lasso’s OSC of the Month for November is Donna Connell, New Home Advisor with W.B. Homes, a family-owned, hometown builder in Pennsylvania. In this interview, Donna shares her path to becoming an OSC, how she’s seen online home sales change, and tips for other OSCs in the industry.

How long have you been an OSC?

I have been an OSC for five years. This was a new role for our company, and I was beyond excited to take on this new position. I have been in the new homes sales industry for over 30 years (yikes!). Working as a Sales Manager for years and being a people person (I like to talk), this was a perfect fit for me. I am very organized and extremely dedicated to becoming successful. I currently manage 140 leads a month on average and have over 8000 leads in our database that I nurture and have follow-up processes in place for.

What was your career path to becoming an OSC?

I had worked in new construction sales for years as a Sales Manager. I took some time off to raise our family. I went back to work part-time when this new position as an OSC was offered to me. I was super excited to start this new role in the company. I felt having my new construction background was going to be very beneficial in my new role as OSC.

How have you seen online home sales change in the last few years?

The OSC role has changed over the last year relating to COVID. It has always been a role that the response time is so important but now even more. I truly believe the prospects demand more detailed information, and the quicker the response time the better. Changing to “By Appointment Only” has made our role extremely busy with making sure prospects are highly qualified since they are very motivated. We have spent more time on the phone providing them with all the information so that when they go to their appointment, they are highly educated, ready to take the next step, and purchase their home. The inventory being low has forced buyers to make a quick decision to move forward in fear of losing the home.

Donna can only be described as a Rock Star. Her numbers and attitude are proof of this. Year to date, Donna directly impacted over 94% of all our sales. She has a positive attitude, is always learning, and focuses on delivering the best possible experience for our prospects. Donna provides customers with the best possible experience, she responds to customers, on average, less than three minutes after they reach out (in cases she is not able to take the call/email immediately!). When she is on the phone with the prospects/corresponding in email, she is not afraid to answer or research questions, provide full details such as a digital brochure, and provide the value on why to make an onsite appointment. The positive experience does not stop there. She follows up with prospects and doesn’t always focus on “us”. She followed up with prospects letting them know locations of the 4th of July fireworks!

Steve Sweet
Director of Sales & Marketing

How do you see your role/or the OSC role evolving over the next few years?

The OSC will continue to be a changing role in the industry. The importance of the role will continue to show with the results of the contribution to sales. I find that my role has evolved into providing much more information than ever before. This generation wants to be able to go to their computers and phones and search for all the information before they make an appointment. That is where my role is so important, providing them with enough information that they are now ready to meet face to face and make that appointment.

What’s the most challenging aspect of your job? What do you do to overcome that challenge?

I find that the market is constantly changing in our industry. Price changes, longer delivery times, and increasing buyer expectations made it challenging for us last year. The most important thing is to stay organized and have all the up-to-date information about each community at your fingertips.

Staying in touch with your Director of Sales and your sales team is key. I am fortunate to be working with the best group of sales professionals in the industry. I stay in touch with them almost every day and they keep me informed of all the changes and updates.

What other tools do you use in your role?

Lasso is by far the best tool for me. It allows me to be organized with all the information about the prospects. I love that I can go right to the prospect and see my notes and I can say something about them, and they respond, “Wow you have a good memory.” No just really good notes.

We have a digital brochure which has been a game changer for me. I can be talking to a realtor/prospect and within minutes they will receive by text our digital brochure for that specific community. They love that they receive the information immediately since they are all connected to their phones 24/7. I also utilize our website with the prospect while we are on the phone together, reviewing the home plans and interactive site plan.

What is your “go-to” closing technique to get an appointment?

I feel one of the best opportunities to get an appointment is to respond to your lead asap. I feel that when they have been active on your website, and you call right away, they are still engaged and willing to talk to you. I review the community and answer all their questions. I will then ask, ”What works for you to spend time with our sales team to tour the models , during the week or do weekends work best for you?” You have to ask for the appointment. They will then respond back with, ”Yes weekends work best for me.”

What/who are your “go-to” resources for training and/or support?

My “go-to” resources for training and support have included Do You Convert; I was grateful to attend the summit this year. This has allowed me to learn from the best in our industry. I am always willing to learn more, so I follow Jeff Shore, webinars, and join any online platforms for OSC’s. My Director of Sales and Marketing, Steve Sweet, has been very supportive of my role as an OSC. He showed me that having time off after three years is so important for me as well as the productivity of the company.

Assistant Director of Marketing, Casey McCarroll, has been there from the very beginning of me becoming an OSC and has been instrumental in my success. And there’s Martha Clifford, OSC for Tuskes Homes. When I was very new in my role, she was so knowledgeable and always took the time to answer my questions. Funny story. Martha was the OSC when I purchased my home at Tuskes. This was before I was an OSC. They have all been a great resource for helping with my success, and thanking them all is a must!

Do you have a productivity hack you’d like to share?

One thing that I find that works for me is being super organized. I have a binder with all of our community’s information. This goes with me everywhere. I keep this up to date all the time with pricing, spec information and community information. I want to be able to answer all their questions and this requires staying organized with all the changing information. I also send out a congratulations letter to all our homeowners that purchase, welcoming them to our W.B. Homes family as well as calling them in person.

Do you have any specific successes you’d like to highlight?

I think one of my successes is my response time. I try to call as soon as they register online. I love when someone says, “I was not expecting to hear from a real person. Is that really you on the website that I am talking to?” I do answer my phone anytime it rings, regardless of the time. (I am getting better at trying to set some heathier boundaries…it’s not easy.)

Any tips or advice for fellow online salespeople and marketers?

I think the best tip is to be honest. People can feel your honesty and then will begin to trust you. One of my favorite parts of Lasso is being able to pull up your notes and review the personal information. I always take the time to read these notes before I get on the phone. It truly makes them feel good and special that you took the time to remember something about them personally. This allows you to connect on a personal level very quickly, which in turn allows them to trust you. Also staying in touch with your sales team so that you remain a “team” at all times.

What are your favorite activities to do outside of work?

Chuck and I have been married for over 31 years (yikes again) and have two children Wyatt and Mackenzie, and our dog Macy. They keep us busy. Mackenzie is in 8th grade with many sports and school activities. I would love to travel to Greece someday, bucket list for sure. I enjoy spending time at the beach with my family…definitely my happy place! I also like shopping (of course) and decorating my home.