Value Prop
Give your standard elevator pitch as an SM to a new Audrey
Answer should include tenure, confidence, and what you bring to the table for Audrey.
What is data driven leadership all about?
Mastermind session including the topics; tracking metrics, setting goals, and alternate investments outside of Zillow.
What is Unlock your Growth Potential about?
Mastermind session involving the topics; different ways to grow and structure your team, attracting top talent, and diving into the interview process
What is Performance Management and Team Culture all about?
Mastermind session including the topics; onboarding process, setting expectations and holding team accountable, developing a strong culture.
What goes into a capstone?
Really anything! You should have a quick call with Audrey before you set this up with the team to get on the same page about tracking, accountability, and knowledge check. You main objective is to be a second voice and always back Audrey up.
Give your elevator pitch to a sales rep who has never used Partner Development before.
You answer should include tenure, confidence, track record of success - especially something to do with increased MRR.
One of your Audreys calls you after this meeting and explains that he liked the MM but was very stressed out because hes not tracking anything and doesnt even know where to start
Perfect time to pitch the Performance management training! Take them through their dashboard and show them the Flex Guardrails - remember that these are not absolute requirements, but great metrics to start holding them accountable to - even if theyre not interested in Flex!
* Trick Question!* What is the first Connection Call Scorecard session all about?
taking Audreys through ALM, whats on the scorecard, benefits of listening to calls and presenting the individual card to them after the meeting
Audrey tells you that the MM topic sounds fun but she REALLY wants to talk about acquiring more listings instead. What is your response?
Audrey should still attend the MM and explain that there will definitely be time at the end to go through "dealer's choice questions" such as acquiring more listings, writing creative offers, really any topic that the group wants to touch on! Many other Audreys probably have the same questions as well.
*Trick Question!* What is the second Connection Call scorecard session all about?
Its advised that Audrey listen to some calls and use the scorecard before attending this session, it gives a more full breakdown of the form and how to use it
Explain all the different lanes of Partner Development, how we work together, and how we benefit the company.
Answer should include conversion lane, BPG, PDS, and/or some of our KPI's that we strive for.
Give the elevator pitch on the operational blueprint consultation
This is the Flex deck! Similar to performance management training deck, this one also goes through an ideal way to structure a team to be best prepared for flex.
What is your best piece of advice to bring in top talent?
Many answers qualify here: up your social media game and branding- have the like-minded agents come to you for your culture, client appreciation, ect. Enhance your training, splits, included items such as CRM's, transaction coordinators, yard signs, ect. Personally call and text impressive agents in the area, use the agent finder and ad section of your profile. Set up a referral program with your current members and provide a small % off all the closings that the new members bring, this can create a mentorship system in your company.
How do you respond to an agent that says he has extremely high turnover in his brokerage?
this is a tough pill to swallow but its time to look internally. What are you offering that other local brokerages are not? Do you do any fun client/ team member appreciation events? are you currently set up like a training brokerage without much benefit to higher level/ tenured members? are your splits fair? do you expect too much without much guidance?
What should happen before a capstone?
Ideally, the team members should attend some of the conversion lane trainings + the broker should attending your prescribed Audrey MM sessions + you should have a quick pow wow with the Audrey before the session to ensure you both are on the same page.
What is the difference between a discovery call, a training, a mastermind, and a capstone?
discovery call comes first and there is no deck, its a time to explore the client and determine the best offering for them. A training can use a deck and screenshare of their personal account, we should always stray away from using the standard 101-401 decks - Frankenstein those instead! A mastermind is a facilitation between several brokers all across the nation to share best practices - little to no deck is used. A capstone is a final meeting between yourself, the broker, and the team, to test everyone's knowledge, drive accountability, and tie a bow on their success for completing several sessions.
What do you do about team members that dont want to track and dont meet their goals?
many answers work here: could be time to create a level system where high converters, those who put in work, ect get rewarded with live calls and leads. take advantage of the pause button for those who dont. have a 1:1 to reset goals and expectations. offer bonuses for those who convert at a high level to try and encourage the other members. Also could recommend the performance management + team culture session or the CCS!
What do you recommend for the interview process?
many answers qualify; first determine if the Audrey personally wants to handle all of this or do they need o hire some kind of team lead/ ops manager to take on this challenge? build a checklist of qualities you're looking for in an agent. Consider bringing them into a team meeting to check the culture connection with your current members, or have a team member also interview them.
What do you recommend for the onboarding process?
Consider if you want to do this yourself every time, or have a permanent trainer/recruiter/ team lead take over. Do you have a ramp up period? Set your expectations from the beginning so there is no confusion and you create strong work ethic. Many brokerages will provide their new hires a massive list of cold leads before turning them onto the live connections. Dont forget to plug all the different training we offer at zillow!
*Scenario* Audrey says he doesn't want to do a capstone. How do you respond?
Capstones are not required but they are a great way to tie a bow on all the learning that everyone has completed over the last few weeks. There is no set time to complete this so you can even mention that everyone can take a break from learning for a little bit and circle back in a month or so. We can be as involved or not with any brokerage, we just always want to ensure that they understand we're here for them!
Scenario: Audrey hates Zillow, has super low conversion, no one has ever helped her, and she wants to cancel- What do you do!
Answer should include empathy, de-escalation, parts of SM elevator pitch, and coaching recommendations- white glove service all the way
*Trick Question* "I cant believe that Zillow bought Showing Time. You're really trying to monopolize the real estate market!"
The reason why we purchased showing time was to streamline your property tour requests. I recommend that you have your showing time app and premier agent app downloaded and cross reference to see if the time slot was actually confirmed by the listing agent. One thing to note is that YOU ALWAY HAVE CONTROL. I recommend still using covid and ALM if you are unsure about your schedule or if the property is available at that time. "Just to let you know, many homeowners require a prequal letter before entering a home, due to covid, I'll need to reach out to the homeowner to ensure that we can access the property first, in the meantime give me another time slot that you can also meet and tell me why you like this property?"
"I dont even know what I'm looking for in an ops staff. Where do I begin?"
many answers qualify - do you want to continue closing deals or switch into a managerial position? What are you strong at? consider hiring an ops team that enhances what you struggle with. time is money- how much time are you willing to dedicate to training, recruiting, ect. what exactly are your goals for your team? consider exploring linkedin or indeed to check out the descriptions for other ops staff and pick and choose what you resonate with.
*Trick Question* "I heard Zillow is becoming a brokerage! What the heck is that all about?!"
"I understand that may seem very scary but the main reason why we did that was to supplement the direct IDX feed integration a few months ago, which is actually making our site more accurate than ever before! This ensures that you and your clients are taken care of. The other reason why we did that was to allow for further compliance with our zillow homes program - which is only happening in Phoenix, Tuscon, and Atlanta.
*Scenario* Audrey's brokerage has completed all the conversion training and MM sessions and they're STILL not making money! What do you do?
We need to discover where the disconnect is! Does Audrey listen to the phone calls? How is the tracking coming along? Is everyone on the team setting realistic goals? How are the 1:1's + team meetings going? Set up a team meeting and ask them yourself! Run through a knowledge check to see if the team members actually attended the conversion lane training sessions.