In today’s episode: Liesel Cooper shares her journey in the home building industry, where quick decision-making and embracing risks are part of the daily grind. Tune in as Liesel discusses navigating the complexities of a male-dominated field with empathy and self-awareness, revealing the keys to her successful career and impactful leadership. Timestamps: 00:00 Don’t Take No as an Answer 05:50 Self-Repairing Concrete 09:44 Addressing the Housing Affordability Crisis with Startup Companies 14:46 The Importance of Passion in the Home Building Industry 23:50 Why Fast Decision-Making in Home Buil ..read more

Sales Questions that Uncover Buyer Pain Points How can you best serve your customers as a sales professional? By adopting the mindset of an emergency room doctor. Yes, you heard that right! Just as doctors assess and address the root causes of a patient’s symptoms, as a new home sales professional, your goal is to dig beneath surface-level issues to understand the true pain points of your buyers. Identifying the True Issue Imagine a scenario where a homebuyer complains about their home feeling cramped. This complaint is the visible pain, but a skilled salesperson needs to diagnose the underly ..read more

Poverty is Overwhelming Today, nearly 700 million people worldwide live on less than $2.15 per day. That is a staggering number, but we also intuitively know that poverty is more complicated than simply not having enough money. Oftentimes, our well-meaning attempts at alleviating poverty only serve to perpetuate the problem unwittingly. Urban activist and author Robert Lupton outlines what he calls “Toxic Charity”, in his book of the same name, as follows: Give once, and you elicit APPRECIATION Give twice, and you create ANTICIPATION Give three times, and you create EXPECTATION Give four tim ..read more

Larry Webb, a veteran in the home building industry, joins Jeff Shore as the first guest on the Builder365 podcast! Larry shares his journey from being a history teacher to becoming a successful home builder and emphasizes the importance of people and relationships in the industry! Builder365 is powered by Opendoor for Builders. For easy sales and smooth moves, visit www.opendoor.com/builder365 Starting the episode off, Jeff quizzes Amy on some homeownership statistics! Then, the Larry Webb interview dives deep into the challenges and triumphs of the industry, from navigating the economic impa ..read more

Three Key Mindsets to Excel in New Home Sales Standing out against the competition isn’t just a goal—it’s a necessity. Whether you’re dealing with a saturated market or a niche product, the ability to differentiate yourself and articulate the unique value of your offerings can make or break a deal. Here’s how you can sharpen your competitive edge and consistently close more sales. Competitive Awareness, Not Fixation It’s essential to be aware of your competition but not to become fixated on them. Knowing what other home sellers are offering, understanding their pricing structures, and being a ..read more

Transform Difficult Customer Interactions With Empathy Imagine you’re enjoying a day at a winery, where the atmosphere is typically cheerful and the company pleasant. Yet, even in such idyllic settings, we encounter individuals who seem perpetually dissatisfied or rude. My friend Laura, who works part-time in a winery, often shares stories of such challenging encounters. If these situations arise even during leisurely activities like wine tasting, consider their frequency in high-stakes environments like buying a home or car.  In sales, these challenging interactions are not just obs ..read more

In the debut episode of Builder365, hosts Jeff Shore and Amy O’Connor dive into the heart of homebuilding, celebrating its achievements and addressing its challenges. Jeff & Amy discuss housing affordability, spotlighting 3D-printed homes as an innovative solution. The duo critically examines the impact of recent changes in the National Association of Realtors, exploring how these shifts affect buyers, realtors, and builders alike. The episode concludes with a personal reflection on the homebuilding industry. From the elements they cherish to the aspects they critique, Jeff and Amy’s insig ..read more

While securing home insurance has become difficult and costly for homebuyers, smart builders are finding ways to stand out from the competition. In states where the risk of natural disasters like hurricanes and wildfires is higher, insurance challenges are causing a lot of worry for those who may already be on a tight budget. Give buyers peace of mind and build trust all the way up to closing by providing an easy and dependable home insurance solution.  Here are some factors that have led to our current market:  Weather and climate disasters increased from an average of eight annual ..read more

In sales, we often fall into traps that, albeit unintentionally, may hinder our progress and impact our relationship with potential buyers. Today, I’d like to share a pivotal adjustment that could not only enhance your sales technique but also enrich your interactions with customers: Stop Oversharing! The Common Pitfall One of the most common pitfalls in sales is overwhelming customers with an excess of data. This approach, though usually well-intentioned, stems from our desire to appear knowledgeable and well-prepared. We thrive on having answers and, by extension, often feel compelled to sh ..read more

E-commerce has changed consumer expectations. Buying a home is not an exception. The National Association of Realtors reports that 97% of individuals searching for a home use online platforms.  In the buyer’s mind, the journey doesn’t start when they talk to a sales representative in a showroom; it started weeks or months ago when they browsed through your website and picked out options of which homes they liked.  As a good salesperson you know that effective sales is all about knowing the customer and meeting them where they are. But, how do you do that if you haven’t had any intera ..read more