This week on The Home Builder Digital Marketing Podcast, Rachel Starratt of Red Door Homes joins Greg and Kevin to discuss why every home builder should have an online sales counselor.
For home builders who still question whether an online sales counselor would be a worthwhile investment, Rachel says,
“…call a builder who has one and call a builder who doesn’t and see the difference, really see for yourself. It’s hard to imagine that builders don’t have one now. There’s a reason that we have an online sales team, and it’s because we don’t want someone just answering the phone and answering a question and saying, Okay, give me a callback, you know, when you have questions. We have an online sales team for a reason, and it’s to convert leads.”
Online sales counselors not only answer questions and educate potential buyers, but they are also specifically qualified to convert those contacts. Rachel explains,
“…whoever is answering the phone and not trained in online sales, they might provide a great customer experience, and they might be able to answer questions, but they are not trained to convert leads, so you’re really missing a large portion of conversion, and leads are expensive. And so, in my mind, it’s my job to maximize every single lead that the organization has paid for. We do that through our online sales team.”
Home builders should challenge conventional thinking and try different approaches to selling homes online. Rachel says,
“…don’t be afraid to do something out of the norm. I think that home building tends to fit inside a box a lot of times in how we market and sell our homes, and I don’t think it needs to be that way. You know, it might flip-flop, but you will miss a hundred percent of the shots that you don’t take.”
Listen to this week’s episode to learn why online sales counselors are so important in the home building industry.
About the Guest:
Rachel has spent the past 15 years building her career in Online Sales & Marketing. Over the last 7 years with Red Door Homes, a build-on-your-lot builder in the Carolinas, she has served as the Online Sales & Marketing Manager. Rachel pioneered the company’s online sales division, transforming it from a one-person operation into a team of five across four markets, and leading the team to win back-to-back NAHB Gold Online Sales Team of the Year awards.
Her role includes hiring, coaching, and training her team while implementing best practices that ensure a seamless customer experience from online engagement to onsite visits. Passionate about storytelling, Rachel emphasizes clarity and transparency with homeowners, ensuring that no new initiative is overlooked. She has also successfully spearheaded new technology initiatives aimed at enhancing customer satisfaction and streamlining the home-buying journey.