OSC of the Month: Courtney Schmitter

Lasso’s OSC of the Month is Courtney Schmitter, online sales coordinator and sales manager for Stevens Fine Homes in Wilmington, N.C. Courtney won the NAHB OSC Rookie of the Year award for 2022. In this interview, she shares her path to becoming an OSC, her productivity hack and shouts out Leah Fellows at Blue Gypsy Inc as her go-to resource.

ECI: How long have you been in your role/or working in new home sales?

Courtney Schmitter (CS): I have been in new home sales for almost 10 years. I started as a Sales Assistant here at Stevens Fine Homes and quickly moved into the role of New Home Specialist. We decided to create an OSC program just over 2 years ago after seeing the changes during COVID and how important it was to have someone connecting quickly with buyers and realtors online, and I have been honored to pilot a successful program here so far.

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

CS: I really hope that more builders start implementing an OSC program. We have seen our sales jump significantly over the past two years, and our onsite team’s conversion rates have skyrocketed (they were already great; let’s be honest, we have an amazing team.) I am also lucky enough to get the realtor leads as well. I haven’t seen all builders do this, but it has allowed us to really keep track of clients, get important data, and really qualify buyers to place them in the right communities.

ECI: What are the most important technology(s)/tool(s) you use in your role?

CS: Lasso is by far my most important tool. We have a small sales team that works very well together. With us all having this CRM both onsite and in the OSC role, it really helps everyone stay on track and stay accountable ensuring that no lead gets left behind.

ECI: What/Who are your "go-to" resources for training and/or support?

CS: Leah Fellows with Blue Gypsy has been KEY to our OSC program success. We brought her in as soon as we knew we wanted to do this, and she went above and beyond anytime we needed her. She has a wealth of knowledge in the industry and since she was previously an OSC herself, she can really dive in on the objections and successes and help us best navigate. Having her, alongside Roland Nairnsey for our onsite sales and management teams, has allowed us all to achieve great success in our local market.

ECI: Do you have a productivity hack to share?

CS: I feel like I see a lot of OSC’s say this, but time blocking, time blocking, time blocking. It is especially important when you need to make those outbound calls and focus. It’s so easy to get distracted but being diligent about setting time aside is very important in this role.

ECI: Do you have any specific successes you'd like to highlight?

CS: Winning the NAHB OSC Rookie of the Year award for 2022 is at the top of the list. I certainly never expected our pilot year to go as well as it did. It was truly a team effort, and I was honored to bring that home to all of us.

ECI · Any tips or advice for fellow online salespeople and marketers?

CS: Get onsite, walk your communities, walk your plans, and learn your design features and the key points of your construction standards so that you can explain those details to your buyers. Also, create a great working relationship with your onsite team. We have found that since we all make a strong effort to nurture those professional relationships, we speak in a very streamlined approach so buyers and brokers catch on quickly to a well-oiled machine, and we all benefit from being a team.

ECI: What are your favorite activities to do outside of work?

CS: Living on the coast of North Carolina, I love going with my husband and our two daughters to the beach, pool, walking trails, and just being outside spending family time together.