About this episode

Jen Barkan and Melissa Fort discuss insights from a secret shop evaluating online sales programs in the homebuilding industry.

Jen Barkan and Melissa Fort break down the results of Do You Convert’s latest secret shop, a comprehensive benchmarking effort evaluating online sales programs across the homebuilding industry nationwide. From initial outreach to follow-up and personalization, they share expert insights on where online sales specialists are excelling and where there’s opportunity to improve. Listen in to fine-tune your strategy based on what the numbers reveal. Housekeeping Online Sales Academy is coming up in January 2026! Don’t miss out. OSA Leadership Edition in person in sunny Orlando, FL coming in February - reach out to Jen to save your spot! TITO Shoutout Nicole Arms at Empire Homes – Earned a five-star Google review for outstanding customer experience. Way to go, Nicole! Key Takeaways How personalization is shaping buyer trust (plus the one detail most OSCs overlook) A crucial change in your discovery that leads to more engaged buyers How to make prospecting a daily habit without burning out Humans still outperform bots: what does that mean for your program? Skills Check Download the full secret shop report to benchmark your program. Set up holiday voicemails to manage customer…

People in this episode

Host: Jen Barkan

Guest: Melissa Fort

Topics covered

• online sales programs
• homebuilding industry
• personalization
• buyer trust
• prospecting strategies
• customer experience

Keywords

• homebuilder
• secret shop
• online sales
• personalization
• customer experience
• prospecting
• buyer engagement

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Do You Convert, Empire Homes

Places: Orlando, FL

More episodes of Online People Talking with Jen Barkan

• #59: Managing Your Day · April 14, 2026 · 45 min
• #58: The Online Sales Manifesto · March 24, 2026 · 38 min
• #57: The National Gold Award Winners for Online Sales · March 10, 2026 · 49 min
• #56: Benchmarks, Brightspots, & Beef · February 24, 2026 · 33 min
• #55: Celebrate Your Power, OSCs! · February 17, 2026 · 45 min
• #54: Finding Gold in the Old · January 27, 2026 · 35 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Online People Talking with Jen Barkan podcast page.