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Ed and Cindy Knight
Licensed in 1987, Cindy Knight has seen a lot of changes over the past 28 years. “Back in the day,” Cindy recalls having one computer in an office of 30 agents - and you had to sign up to use it to access MLS listings. In 1991, when the Internet as we know it came into being, Cindy had a glimpse into the future and an inclination that this “Internet thing” was going to be big.
Given her experience as an agent both before and after the onset of digital marketing, I asked Cindy what she thought about the role of the Internet and online advertising in the world of real estate today. Here’s what she had to say.
How does the Internet help you the most?
I’m all about education. When the public asks a question, you answer the question. Education is a huge part of our job. I initially got into Trulia and Zillow because they offered a way to interact directly with consumers that had questions. If you’re helpful, answer questions and don’t apply pressure, you will get clients. Not all of them, of course, but you will get clients.
I see Zillow and Trulia as “neutral territory,” a place where consumers feel less threatened, a place where they can search and explore a lot of information without feeling pressured by a real estate agent. They are ‘safe places’ for consumers to begin to explore and learn. We just need to be there for them when they need further assistance.
The way I look at Zillow is it’s the newspaper of today. This whole crazy concept that they are stealing our data doesn’t make sense. We send Zillow our data just like we sent it to newspapers or put our faces on bus benches.
Do Zillow and similar sites reduce agents’ value?
I sat in a conference session once where the discussion was, “What are we going to do about Zillow?” I was like, “Come on guys, it’s an advertising site. You’re making a big deal about nothing. Don’t we have a LOT bigger issues and concerns than worrying about who is advertising where? If you don’t want to put your listings on portal sites, then tell your MLS, tell your broker, and don’t put them there.”
EVERY other industry puts information on the Internet, it is what today’s consumers want. That doesn’t mean they don’t also want an expert’s opinion and advice on what that data means. In fact, because of the volume of information available, that consultative process is even more important than it used to be. We can demonstrate value, incredible value, to our clients through helping them navigate and understand the information available to them.
We seem to be the only industry out there that wants to hide information from the consumer. So many seem to want to go back to 1990 when you called about a home you saw in a paper or magazine and came into the office where I had the secret access to info. So I would pick three or four houses to show you and you’d buy one of those - because you had no idea what else was out there. That’s just not going to work today, it’s just not. Why shouldn’t the consumer have open access to information? They’ll still need help interpreting that data, and they’ll still need help navigating the buy/sell process.
Zillow to me has made our job easier, not harder. People can see the inventory. They can drive around and maybe realize, “I thought I could spend $100K and get this much home. Now I realize to get what I want I really need to spend $120K.” So now I’m no longer the bad guy, I’m not one of those, “real estate agents always wanting to push someone into more home than they want all in the name of a bigger commission check for me.” Educated consumers come to me and sure, they don’t know everything but they do have a far better idea about what homes are out there than they ever could have known “pre-Internet.”
People say, “The older generation may want to do it how it was done in the 90s.” OK, so help them too. But understand it’s not just “the millennials” using the Internet. I’m 58 years old and I use the Internet every day.
How do you use Zillow and Trulia?
I’m a little different than most. I can see the way the consumer has changed. We’re no longer in sales, we’re in the information-providing-and-interpretation business. I advertise on Zillow, I advertise in ZIP codes where I want to get my name out there in front of people. I’m not looking for leads. I’ve never used these sites for leads - I use them for exposure. I want to be that agent where, when people go looking in an area I work, they say, “I see you all over the place!” THAT drives business, long-term business.
This was really interesting to me, as I’ve talked to quite a few Zillow Premier Agents® who have a similar strategy. They don’t purchase advertising on Zillow Group® sites solely for the direct contacts, but also for the branding and exposure play.
“So it’s sort of like you’re buying billboard space on the information highway?” I asked Cindy.
“It’s even better than that,” she responded. “If I buy a billboard and put it up next to a high-traffic area, I’m exposing myself and my business to everyone that drives by - 16-year-olds, someone who just bought a house, another agent, a truck driver passing through. With my ‘Zillow billboards,’ I’m targeting that exposure to people interested in real estate. Of course, some are ‘Looky Loos’ or people wanting to see what their neighbor paid for their home. But many are actively looking at buying or selling real estate. Some now, some months or years from now. That is a very good, very powerful thing.
“I may be 58, but that doesn’t mean I can’t learn new things, and learn to leverage technology. Technology, while it can be challenging at times, ultimately helps you reach more people, reach the right people, and reach them more efficiently and economically.”
Thanks, Cindy, for the fun, enlightening conversation! We’re going to have to get you back to talk about the rebranding of your and Ed’s brokerage to Rooms Realty (Ed, Cindy’s husband, is the broker for Realty TECS, which services Macomb County, Michigan). Until that change happens, Cindy can be contacted through her Zillow profile or her website, MacombHomeFinder.com!