Across the country, the dust is settling on a slower than expected selling season and builders are scrambling to hit revised closing goals. Interest rates remain elevated, affordability is challenged, and buyer hesitation is at an all-time high. Unless something drastically changes in the market, there most likely won’t be a late season selling surge.
 
Some builders are holding out hope for a late season revival of sorts, where sales will unexpectedly spike and business plans that were created in 2024 will be salvaged. In Colorado, where the market is especially tough right now, many leaders are pushing a false confidence while quietly panicking about cash flow and overhead behind the scenes.
 
The uncomfortable truth? Many builders underinvested in their sales teams during the good times—and are paying the price in today’s slower market.

Secrets of Market-Resistant Builders

The builders thriving (or at least surviving) in this market are often the ones who:
  • Maintained veteran sales leadership and were forward thinking about where the market was heading. They balanced challenge with support to keep their core teams together while also weeding out the onsite managers who didn’t want to evolve. 
  • Continued to invest in sales training and coaching. 
  • Defined, trained and executed their buyer journey. 
  • Adapted quickly when market conditions shifted in terms of incentives. Those leaders who were forward thinking and embraced the changing market are the ones who made moves first and today are more stable and profitable. 
Diagnosing the Sales Gap: Where to Start

Here are four ways you can get your sales team on track:

1. Invest in People, Culture, and Systems

A strong team is built with intention—not recycled résumés. In today’s market, the true ROI comes from building a team from the ground up—investing in people, culture, and systems that align with your long-term vision. Chasing “job jumpers” who bounce from builder to builder may offer a quick fix but rarely delivers lasting results. Loyalty, performance, and company pride are built—not bought.

2. Conduct Secret Shops and Mystery Walks 

This should be a no brainer, but many companies today are not investing in the time to secret shop their NHC. Bring in third-party evaluators or consultants to “shop” your communities and your competitors. Listen to real conversations that your team is having with your buyers.  Evaluate follow-up. Gauge first impressions. You’ll often find a wide gap between how leadership thinks salespeople are performing and what’s happening in the field.

3. Evaluate Willingness to Evolve

Ask yourself, Is the team willing to get uncomfortable? Are they open to new sales methodologies, digital tools, or social selling? The best salespeople today are educators, not just order takers.

Hire and train to the mantra that your onsite team needs to have two important traits:
  • They have a fire in the belly. They want to get after it and are not satisfied with just making six figures. 
  • They are coachable. So many teams are hanging on to legacy sales reps because of relationships or past results.
 4. Audit the Strength of Your Follow-Up Process

Lead conversion doesn’t happen at the first visit anymore. Many reports and data show that it takes almost six months or more for an average buyer to convert in today’s market. How consistent and creative is your team’s follow-up?  

The Path Forward: Intentional Investment

Now is not the time to cut corners when investing in your sales team. It’s time to double down:
  • Re-train for today’s buyer. Post-pandemic buyers are more cautious, more digital, and more informed. 
  • Develop customized scripting and presentations for higher interest rates, affordability objections, and longer sales cycles. If your team is not educating buyer on payments, running scenarios and putting together creative packages for buyers who are on the fence, then they are just going through the motions. 
  • Implement roleplaying, workshops, and team collaboration so that salespeople aren’t solving problems in silos.
  • Rebuild a culture of accountability and coaching. Your best reps crave feedback. Your weakest ones need it. Once you invest in your team and bring them with you through the challenges of this market, they’ll be stronger, more nimble and ready to tackle any market. 
The market may be down, but people are still buying homes. The difference is that the sale now takes skill and persistence. Those builders who over-relied on product or location during the boom are facing hard truths. But those who invest—truly invest—in their people, training, and process will emerge stronger and ahead of the curve once the market changes. 

Shinn Group is here to help. In addition to our robust management training curriculum, we offer customized consulting and coaching packages designed to help home builders implement strategies to maximize performance and profitability under any market conditions. Contact us a 303-972-7666 or info@theshinngroup.com for details.

Mike Welty is a consultant at Shinn Group. He specializes in helping builders develop effective sales and marketing teams and create organizational efficiencies to maximize profit and alignment.