Online People Talking with Jen Barkan

Hosted by Jen Barkan

Business Marketing EducationInterviews guests

Website RSS feed LinkedIn Facebook Instagram YouTube

Episodes

Latest episode

Aug 2026

Language

About the show

Welcome to Online People Talking hosted by Online Sales Coach, Jen Barkan! This is the only podcast that is dedicated to enhancing the careers and lives of the new home Online Sales Specialist. We’ll talk about real life challenges, stories, and solutions just for you! If you work for a homebuilder or are in the homebuilding industry, you'll want to tune in as we interview amazing guests and share best practices honed in the trenches. Powered by Do You Convert and the online sales dream team. Learn more at http://www.doyouconvert.com

Listen to episodes

60 recent

August 10, 202634 min

#67: The Video Email Playbook

You can't wave a magic wand and get more leads in today's market. What you CAN do is make sure not a single one gets left behind, and Jen and Melissa lay out a high-impact way to do that with video! Learn the seven moments where it works best, and the tips that keep it from backfiring or getting stale. Housekeeping Online Sales and Marketing Summit - Oct 1-2 - Austin, TX - Roughly 95% sold out. FOMO no mo. Get your ticket. Online Sales Academy - Oct 28-30 - Live Virtual Event - Join the interest list under Events on the DYC site and you'll be first in line. TITO Shoutout Erin and Aeryn at Tim O'Brien Homes!. Melissa found a 100% personal video email one of them sent to a two-year-old lead, recapping his exact situation and timeline now that a new phase released. Key Takeaways Why OSCs Avoid It: "I don't like how I look or sound." "Nobody watches these anyway." Melissa gets honest about her own resistance and what finally got her past it. Video Is Still an Opportunity: When we shopped the top builders last year, more of them were sending video. Out of all of it, only ONE was actually personal. Ten years in to us recommended everyone do this - it is still wide open. Authentic Over Perfect: One take. Don't watch it, wince, and re-record. You'll find a hundred things to fix and only send one video all day! Skills Check Go send three videos this week. One to a prospect, using the notes in your CRM so it's genuinely personal to them. One to a realtor partner, remembering that a B2B message sounds different than a B2C one! Finally, (and something that is most forgotten) send one internally to a salesperson who did a great job on a handoff or is staying on top of their CRM. You are in a front-facing role. Get out from behind the screen!

July 28, 202634 min

#66: Q2 Benchmarks & Market Update

Jen is joined by Amanda Martin and Beth Russell to dive into the Q2 2026 Online Sales Benchmarks, which show a strong quarter despite declining lead volume. The conversation covers what's driving the national market trends, how top performers are pulling ahead of the pack, and practical takeaways for both leaders and OSCs. View the full Q2 2026 Online Sales Benchmarks report . Housekeeping Online Sales and Marketing Summit - Oct 1-2 - Austin, TX - More than 80% sold out! Don’t get FOMO, get your ticket. Online Sales Academy - Oct 21-23 - Live Virtual - The Academy is for new OSCs, seasoned OSCs that want formal training, or OSCs that just need a refresher. Join the VIP list! Clash of the Titans with Karla Tuten and Kevin Oakley - Aug 4 at 3pm EST - FREE Virtual Event - They will debate which is more important: visual design or words and ideas? It will not be recorded, so you have to register! TITO Shoutout Jessica Myers at Caviness & Cates - She has been the CRM champion for her organization! Way to go! Key Takeaways Market Pulse: Beth gives an overall read on traffic and lead volume trends across the industry, plus where that data comes from and what it means for OSCs day-to-day. Q2 2026 Benchmark Data: Online Sales is now driving the majority of total company sales industry-wide for the first time in a while, and the top online sales programs are only getting better. Aged Leads Still Matter: Even with a strong quarter driven by fresh-lead conversion, 20% of appointments still came from aged leads already in the database, reinforcing that the database remains a valuable asset worth working consistently. Prove You’re Human: Top builders aren't leaning on AI for first touch or prospecting. Their results come from personalized outreach and genuine database mining. Skills Check Go do some data storytelling with your marketer. If you're not meeting with your marketer, you absolutely should be meeting with them at least once a month. Look at year over year. Go back and look at what last year looked like during this time compared to what this year looks like during this time. What are the changes? Are there new lead sources? What are those conversions happening? And work with them together on what your data is telling you. What's the story behind it? That is your opportunity to make such a huge impact on your organization.

July 14, 202632 min

#65: Pajamas to Professionalism

Jen welcomes DYC Online Sales Coach Molly Adams to the podcast for a wide-ranging conversation about professionalism in online sales roles, covering everything from office setup and equipment to dress code and daily mindset routines. Housekeeping: Online Sales and Marketing Summit - October 1-2, 2026 in Austin, TX - We are in full-on summit prep mode - it is over 70% sold out - so you better get your ticket soon! Jen and Mike recently hosted a virtual online event covering the four things online sales professionals need to do to maintain their "human edge" in an increasingly digital world. If you missed it, don't worry, this topic will be covered at Summit. TITO Shoutout: Kait Estes, OSC at Landmark Homes - Kait is brand new to the role and is stepping into a long-held seat, learning new leads, and diving into her CRM all at once. Excited to watch all that she’s doing! Key Takeaways: Setting Up Your Home Office: Jen makes the case for a dedicated office space with a door, positioned so that a window is in front of you (not behind you), and a pretty, professional-looking backdrop. Equipment That Sets You Up for Success: Molly walks through the tech stack for success, including dual monitors, hardwired internet, a separate webcam, good lighting (they use a Lume Cube), a wireless keyboard/mouse, and more. Dress for Success: You’re the face of your organization! What does that look like? How are you showing up to work? No one needs full glam, but if you're doing video emails daily - are you showing up ready? If you had to hop on a call, what impression are you making? Mindset & Planning: Both Jen and Molly share their "commute to work" routines to their home offices and how they plan their day each morning, step outside during the day, and close the office door at the end of the day to create boundaries and separation. Skills Check: Evaluate your office setup. Do you need to upgrade? Really check yourself on your professionalism - are you business ready?

June 23, 202634 min

#64: Care More, Convert More

Host Jen Barkan welcomes award-winning OSC Alex Neller of Dream Finders Homes into the studio, who shares her journey from bartending to online sales and the mindset and habits that have driven her success. The conversation covers what makes a great OSC from the inside out, touching on authenticity, AI adoption, realtor relationships, and the power of genuine human connection. Housekeeping: We are hiring for an Online Sales Coach! If you have a passion for the role and you want to take that passion into training, coaching, and leading, this is the job for you - apply today . TITO Shoutout: Natalie Smeby, OSC at DR Horton Houston Division - Natalie puts her training and knowledge immediately into action and has been seeing results right away. Key Takeaways: Background and the Bartender-to-OSC Pipeline: Alex shares how her restaurant and bartending background gave her a natural edge in reading the room, adapting to different people, and building rapport. AI Adoption and Overcoming Resistance: Alex was initially resistant when encouraged to use AI, worried it would make her communication feel transactional. She came around by treating AI as a baseline formatter rather than a replacement for her voice, and now uses it daily to operate at a higher level across all her relationships. Superpowers and Kryptonite: Alex names human connection as her superpower, knowing her leads' dogs' names and following through from first contact to close. Her kryptonite is a "buy or die" mentality that can lead to task fatigue from over-assigning follow-ups, though she shared a win of finally booking an appointment with a lead she had been nurturing since 2023. Realtor Relationships Challenge: In today's market, Alex says realtors are being flooded with emails and simply not reading them. Her approach is to get intentional: pick up the phone, text to flag an email, and position yourself as a one-stop resource. She also emphasizes treating realtor partners the way you treat leads, making them feel seen and valued. Skills Check: Check yourself, check your mindset, check your perspective. When you get up in the morning, pause and think about something you're grateful for. Start your day with that mantra, and write it down. Take a moment before you roll into the craziness of the day, pause, look around, and reflect. That will set the tone and shape your mindset.

June 9, 202632 min

#63: Mid Year Gut Check

Host Jen Barkan is joined by the one and only Coach Melissa Fort to discuss strategies for online sales specialists to make the most of a historically slower summer market. The conversation centers on focus areas to maintain momentum and level up skills during downtime. Housekeeping 2026 Online Sales and Marketing Summit - October 1-2, 2026 in Austin, TX - The biggest party for online sales and marketing and it’s already over 60% sold out! TITO Shoutout We want YOU to send in your nominations to onlinesales@doyouconvert.com! Key Takeaways - 5 things that you can focus on right now Mid year Gut Check: Revisit goals set at the start of the year, assess what's working and what isn't, celebrate wins, and recalibrate for the second half. This includes checking in with sales leadership to see if company goals have shifted and working backwards to understand how OSCs can contribute. Learn AI: Take some AI courses and lean into tools like Claude - think about how you can use it in your role to analyze call transcripts, identify objection patterns, draft prospecting emails, and build presentations. Lean into prospecting (with a fresh approach): Get creative with your outreach. And make those calls. If you are getting a lot of bot leads, flip the script by leading with "I'm a real person" messaging to build trust and spark engagement. Refresh your follow up: Is it stale? Have you been sending the same thing for years in your short term follow up messaging? Audit existing follow-up, then tailor messaging by how leads found you, keep it simple and engagement-focused, and don't set-it-and-forget-it. Foster relationships: Use slower periods to get out from behind the screen. Is there an onsite sales person that you need to build a better relationship with? Get out onsite. Take them coffee. Record a video together. Tour an inventory home. Skills Check Which one of these 5 are you going to commit to doing right now? Write out a plan. Talk it over with your leadership, put it out into the universe, and then report your results!

May 26, 202642 min

#62: Going Beyond the Screen

Host Jen Barkan talks to Emily Tucker , an award-winning OSC with Robuck Homes, about how she goes beyond traditional lead management by visiting communities, creating successful video content, and building relationships with on-site sales agents and realtors to amplify her builder's brand presence. Housekeeping 2026 Online Sales and Marketing Summit - October 1-2, 2026 in Austin, TX - According to Emily, if you’re an Online Sales Specialist, you have to go! TITO Shoutout Kelly Ward and Athena Azan with M/I Homes - Internet Sales Team of the Year at the MAME Awards. Key Takeaways Be the face of your brand, not just a phone answerer: Emily makes monthly on-site visits to each community to create video content that humanizes her as an OSC and builds a personal social media presence alongside the company's corporate accounts. A personal brand reaches people differently than a builder's corporate page alone! You don't need fancy equipment to get started: A phone, an inexpensive tripod , and a lapel mic from Amazon are all Emily uses. The bigger barrier is perfection paralysis - use the mantra "progress over perfection" and just do it, even if early videos are rough. One site visit can fuel weeks of content across multiple channels: A single afternoon on-site can generate a month's worth of video content that can be repurposed across social platforms, text prospecting, emails, and realtor outreach. On-site visits strengthen the OSC-to-sales-agent relationship: Collaborating on videos builds trust and connection with on-site agents. Teaching agents video skills and inviting them to participate turns the visit into a relationship-building moment, not just a content-creation task. Skills Check Pick one community, talk to leadership and/or marketing about how you can create some content. Think about how you could leverage this content across multiple channels - marketing, prospecting, and follow up.

May 12, 202616 min

#61: Q1 Benchmarks

Melissa , Amanda , and Molly take over the OPT studio to share Q1 industry benchmarks, discuss key trends in online sales, and offer actionable advice for OSCs and leaders navigating a lower-volume, higher-quality lead environment. Housekeeping Online Sales and Marketing Summit - Oct 1-2 - Austin, TX - We encourage OSCs to attend, with new interactive programming planned. TITO Shoutout Monica Fikany at New Home Inc - Monica had great lead-to-appointment conversions in Q1. Danielle Evans at Bishard Holmes - 38% of Danielle’s appointments came from aged leads. Key Takeaways Lead volume is down, but quality is up: The top of the funnel remains constrained, volume hasn't fully bounced back. However, conversion rates are improving, meaning OSCs are doing more with less. Prospecting is the biggest win of Q1: Normally, prospecting dips in Q1 as new leads come in during selling season. This quarter, prospecting stayed consistent and even increased -- a major highlight. The 22% age lead appointment rate is a direct result of sustained prospecting effort. Your CRM is your most valuable asset: Maximize CRM usage by logging detailed notes after every interaction - aged leads hold untapped opportunity, and leadership relies on quality CRM data to make strategic decisions, so consistency matters. Personalization wins appointments: Buyers are on a longer journey right now. Personalizing outreach and follow-up, based on good notes and CRM data, is what sets top OSCs apart. Skills Check For Leaders: Stop measuring program success purely on lead volume. Conversion percentages are the more meaningful metric right now. Scorecards should reflect this shift. For OSCs: Be disciplined and consistent with prospecting. Treat every lead like it's gold. Respond to new leads fast, speed to first response beats the competition. Stay process-driven: no lead left behind.

April 28, 202635 min

#60: Personal Time Management

Host Jen Barkan is joined by her daughter Mia, a third-year veterinary student at Ross University in St. Kitts, for a candid conversation about how to stay focused on your goals and career when life gets hard. Housekeeping 2026 Online Sales and Marketing Summit - October 1-2, 2026 in Austin, TX - The Summit is literally the biggest party for Online Sales Specialists in the universe. TITO Shoutout Rebecca Von Heimburg, OSC at Pacesetter Homes in Dallas Texas - She just had the best month ever; she set a PR for herself while navigating some personal stuff. Key Takeaways Set clear boundaries and protect them fiercely: Boundaries aren't optional extras - they're what prevent burnout and enable long-term success over short-term output. Keep your eye on the end goal when motivation fades: On the hardest days, remember your why. For OSCs, reconnecting to your purpose (your metrics, your customers, your career growth) is what pulls you forward. Recharging isn't a reward, it's a requirement: Taking time for yourself isn't selfish, it preserves your mental capacity for the long haul. Skills Check Are there any boundaries you need to create for yourself? Pick one thing to do to recharge your battery this week. Is it a walk? A massage? Reading?

April 14, 202644 min

#59: Managing Your Day

Host Jen Barkan is joined by Online Sales Coach Molly Adams to talk through her blog where she shares pro tips on managing your day as an Online Sales Specialist, in order to shift from reactive to proactive. Housekeeping 2026 Online Sales and Marketing Summit - October 1-2, 2026 in Austin, TX - The Summit is literally the biggest party for Online Sales Specialists in the universe. TITO SHOUTOUT Garrett Fitzgerald with Pulte Homes - He is such a great mentor for new OSCs joining Pulte and going through training and onboarding. Key Takeaways Treat every caller like gold: when your day is structured, you can give customers the attention they deserve. Start your day calm and end it clean: when you add in time to plan your day and wrap up, you will feel ahead. This is a structural problem: this is not a you problem - it is fixable, you just need to prioritize your tasks. Skills Check Define your first priorities and your second priorities. We recommend the Marie Kondo method. Put everything out there and if it's no longer giving you joy or converting interest into revenue, say Arigato - thank you - and give it away.

March 24, 202638 min

#58: The Online Sales Manifesto

Host Jen Barkan is joined by Online Sales Coach Melissa Fort to talk about the non-negotiables in online sales, from capturing leads to connecting with your on-site team. Housekeeping Online Sales Academy – April 1-3, 2026: It’s not too late to join! Ideal for new OSCs or anyone that wants to level up their online sales. TITO SHOUTOUT Jennifer Thilmany with Hartizen Homes - Brand new to the role, just went through her training, and she's kicking butt and taking names. Appointments and sales are flowing! Congrats Jennifer! The Online Sales Manifesto Notes All new interest flows through online sales. Start with your website - CTAs - one voice - creating a better mousetrap will lead to higher conversion and better data integrity. For example: Web leads, signage, calls, Zillow, BDX, developer, realtors, Self Tour. Right size your program - one OSC manages 150-200 new leads/month. Take into account coming soon as well. Position the OSC as an extension of the sales team and it should be a performance-based role. Lean into speed to lead. Personalize the first email, text, and call with the community of interest and address any questions that came in the inquiry. Auto response doesn’t count. Make your messaging relevant and simple. And know your audience - one size doesn’t fit all on follow up templates. Develop and follow a process. You need a process for new leads, responsive leads, prospecting, coming soon communities, call path, and handoff. Be curious! Discover don’t info dump and set appropriately qualified appointments for your sales team. Know your numbers and the why behind them. Reporting is your responsibility. Leads, lead sources, conversion to appt, show rate, appt to sale, and overall contribution. Make the phone your best friend and make it a priority. Answer rate needs to be 80% or higher. Prospecting is a first priority. If you don’t have the bandwidth to make prospecting monthly emails and daily outbound calls, then consider a couple of things: how you manage your day and if you need a team member? With almost 20% of appointments coming from aged leads, you can’t afford not to do it. Come out from behind the screen and connect with sales. Whether this is sales meetings, in person at the community, or virtually. Stay up to date on your tech stack. Remember your value and the impact you have on your company. Know how to explain your role confidently. Skills Check Anything on the manifesto that you're not following or don't have implemented, sit down with leadership and talk it through. Don't go with complaints, but with solutions.