One of the great privileges of hosting the EXCIA Podcast is having the opportunity to sit down with some of the brightest minds in the home building industry. Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kevin Oakley, Managing Partner of the marketing wing of Do You Convert, and our conversation quickly evolved from marketing and sales into something much bigger: leadership. We discussed how builders can navigate today's challenging market, why so many companies are chasing the wrong solutions, and what truly separates the organizations that continue to thrive from those that struggle. One idea in particular stayed with me long after we finished recording.
Kevin suggested that the best leadership teams today share three important characteristics. They are calm, competitive, and curious. At first glance, those words sound simple, but the more we explored them, the more I realized they describe exactly how successful builders are approaching today's market. With interest rates remaining high, affordability challenges affecting buyers, and Artificial Intelligence changing the way we all work, there has never been a greater need for thoughtful leadership rather than reactive leadership.
Kevin's described spending an entire day in a conference room with a builder reviewing dashboards, spreadsheets, performance reports, and every imaginable metric. The leadership team had access to an incredible amount of data, yet no one could confidently explain why one particular community was underperforming. It wasn't until they left the conference room and actually visited the community that the real issue became obvious. The problem wasn't marketing or advertising. It wasn't even the salesperson. The obstacle was an internal process that prevented salespeople from naturally directing prospective buyers to another nearby community that better suited their needs. None of that appeared on a dashboard. The numbers told part of the story, but not the whole story.
That conversation reminded me of something I have believed throughout my own career. Data is incredibly valuable, but it should never replace observation. Whenever I begin working with a builder, I don't want to walk into a training room immediately. I want to visit the communities, meet the salespeople, experience the customer journey, review the marketing, and understand what buyers are actually seeing and hearing. Only then can I begin to identify the opportunities that will make the biggest difference. The best consultants—and the best leaders—don't rely solely on reports. They go into the field.
Kevin and I also discussed another danger that many organizations face today: the temptation to chase the latest shiny object or trend. When results begin to decline, it's human nature to believe there must be a revolutionary new answer. Companies begin searching for a new CRM, a new marketing platform, a new Artificial Intelligence tool, or a completely different sales strategy. While innovation is important, I've often found that the greatest improvements don't come from replacing everything. They come from consistently executing the fundamentals exceptionally well. Technology should enhance great leadership—not replace it.
That doesn't mean we should ignore innovation. Quite the opposite. Kevin and I both believe Artificial Intelligence is transforming our industry. In fact, I now use AI-powered coaching tools that allow managers to review sales conversations at a scale that would have been impossible only a few years ago. Those tools provide remarkable insights and dramatically improve coaching. However, technology still requires human judgment. AI can identify patterns, but leaders must still ask the right questions, understand the customer experience, and determine what actions should be taken. Technology is most powerful when combined with curiosity.
Perhaps my favorite moment in our conversation came when Kevin described what true expertise really looks like. Most people assume experts simply know the answers. Kevin challenged that assumption. He explained that experts develop patterns based upon years of experience, but great experts continually ask themselves one important question: "Is this true this time?" Instead of assuming every situation fits a familiar pattern, they rebuild the problem from the ground up, testing every assumption before reaching a conclusion. I loved that analogy because it reinforces something I teach sales managers all the time—never stop asking questions. Curiosity is one of the greatest competitive advantages any leader can possess.
As we concluded the interview, I reflected on Kevin's three words: calm, competitive, and curious. Calm leaders don't panic every time the market changes. Competitive leaders are willing to adapt and improve rather than simply defend the way things have always been done. Curious leaders leave the conference room, visit the communities, listen to customers, coach their salespeople, and challenge their own assumptions before making important decisions.
The market will continue to evolve. Interest rates will change. Consumer expectations will change. Technology will certainly continue to change. But the qualities that define exceptional leadership remain remarkably consistent. If there is one lesson I took away from my conversation with Kevin Oakley, it is that builders who remain calm under pressure, competitive in their pursuit of excellence, and endlessly curious about improving their business will place themselves in the strongest position to succeed—not only in today's market, but in every market that follows.
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Kevin Oakley is the most trusted name in new home marketing to builders and developers across North America. He has over 20 years of experience running marketing and sales operations for home builders of all shapes, sizes, and areas of expertise. Kevin has worked for two different multi-billion-dollar revenue builders (NVR & Maronda Homes) as well as for a private family-owned builder (Heartland Homes). He was intimately involved with the development, marketing, and sale of over 2 billion dollars in new homes before joining Do You Convert. Kevin’s extensive background and time spent in the trenches allow him to uniquely connect with the challenges you face in today’s market. Kevin is the author of Presale Without Fail: The Secret to Launching New Communities with Maximum Results, and the host of the Market Proof Marketing podcast. Kevin can be reached at Kevin@doyouconvert.com.