Zillow’s Premier Agent Sets Real Estate Professionals Ahead of the Competition
As the competition continues to heat up in real estate markets across the board, empowering real estate professionals and providing them with the support they need to generate their own business is more critical than ever before.
“Whether it’s an individual agent or brokerage, getting onboard with Zillow is the way of the future,” says Teresa Stephenson, president and managing partner of Platinum Properties in New York, N.Y.
The 30-person firm, which focuses on sales and leasing, was approached by Zillow nearly three years ago when launching Premier Agent on StreetEasy.
“After listening to our sales rep—and the promises he was making—I remember telling my partner that if they followed through on only half of what they were promising, it sounded like a good deal,” says Stephenson, who has been nothing short of impressed with everything Premier Agent has offered the firm and its agents over the years.
Since partnering with Zillow, the firm has benefitted in numerous ways. But, according to Stephenson, the biggest benefit comes from having to expand the firm’s sales team to take advantage of all the leads pouring in.
“We’ve focused our attention on a specific kind of training that teaches our agents how to handle cold leads to ensure that they’re all receiving excellent service,” says Stephenson. “This takes a strong focus on follow-up, so we’re fully committed to this part of the process now.”
With 15 agents currently utilizing the program, there’s no doubt that Premier Agent has been a boon when it comes to setting the firm apart from the competition.
“On the buy side, Premier Agent helps position our real estate professionals as experts in the area in which they’re working,” explains Stephenson, “as the program enables them to become hyper-focused in their target areas.”
On the flip side of the coin, when working with sellers, the program provides real estate professionals the opportunity to speak to the volume of leads that can be generated in a hyper-focused area.
“No matter the market, Premier Agent helps us empower agents,” adds Stephenson.
But the benefits don’t end there.
In fact, working with the team at Zillow has been a positive experience for everyone involved from the get-go.
Not only has Zillow been a fantastic resource for Platinum Properties in terms of lead generation, but also, they’re not afraid of change—and they’re constantly looking for the next big thing.
“Zillow isn’t afraid to move and change at breakneck speed, and that’s the only way to stay ahead of the competition,” says Stephenson.
“They’re very responsive and eager to continue to engage more and more with the brokerage community so that, at the end of the day, they’re providing the best service possible,” concludes Stephenson.
For more information, please visit www.zillow.com.
Paige Tepping is RISMedia’s managing editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at paige@rismedia.com.
