October/November Update!

Never Goal Alone

If you’ve heard me speak about goal setting before you’ve likely heard me say to make goal setting a family/community affair.  One of the things I’ve learned over the years is that you should never “goal” alone. The goals that stick, the ones that really mean something, are the ones you share with others. For me, that’s been my family and the team. Every New Year’s Day, our family begins to think on our vision boards for the year….pictures, quotes, reminders of what matters most. It’s become somewhat of a tradition because it turns goal setting into something we do together.

This year Jen and I thought it would be great to reward the boys if they met their goals. We decided to celebrate with a trip to Six Flags in San Antonio. We’re heading there later this month for a quick turnaround trip, and the boys are already counting down the days. Liam's goal was to make the top team in his club soccer and set his sights on becoming captain. Blake felt called to take his first mission trip this year and ended up serving at an orphanage in Mexico. They both worked hard and followed through. Honestly, they’ve become more disciplined about their goals than Jen and I are, which is both humbling and pretty awesome to see.

For me, a couple of my personal goals were to write in my gratitude journal every day and to read more at night instead of taking in the usual noise and negativity that fills our feeds. I also share my work goals with the kids so they understand that when I have to travel or miss a practice, it’s part of what we set out to achieve as a family. That shared sense of purpose has changed everything.  It’s brought more meaning to the work and more connection at home. We’re all excited for Six Flags… though I’ll admit, I still love roller coasters, but they don’t love me as much as they used to.  Fingers crossed I can make it through two days!  

The Last 30 days

I usually try to get these messages out at month end, but wanted to wait until Billy, JMac, TJ, and I returned from Zillow Unlock before sharing an update on what’s been accomplished over the last 30 days. 

As always, when we attend a conference, there’s a clear mission behind it. It’s not about the dinners or celebrity sightings (though we did happen to eat next to Adam Sandler!!). 

It’s about showing up as advocates for you, our team members and the future of this organization. Every meeting, every breakout, every conversation is intentional. We go with a plan, and we come back with actionable insights designed to make us stronger and more prepared for the year ahead.

My key focus at Unlock was to explore alternative team models/structures, both for agents and for leadership, that keep everyone energized, aligned, and focused on growth. I also met with top-performing teams from across the country to discuss new lead source strategies that increase margin for our team members and help us diversify beyond Flex(now called Zillow Preferred). JMac and I were laser-focused on understanding Zillow’s new connection assignment process.  Specifically, why some team members are being under-delivered while others are over-delivered. We spent hours gathering data, providing examples, and advocating for our agents who are top performers but whose phones may not be ringing. That was our number one mission, and I’m confident we made meaningful progress that will lead to better balance and opportunity across the board.  Here’s a picture of us going through our team roster with Zillow founder, Lloyd Frink, and showing him the anomalies that we are seeing.

While we were doing that, Billy’s mission was to dive deep into the Follow Up Boss tech roadmap, making sure we understand where the platform is heading, what overlaps exist in our current systems, and whether we’re doubling up on resources that could be streamlined. Also, understanding what needs to be done to ensure SOI contacts and information are protected.

TJ, on his first Unlock, made it his goal to connect with as many sales leaders as possible, absorbing ideas and best practices. Taken together, these efforts are part of a larger, intentional strategy to stay ahead of industry shifts, to advocate for our team, and most importantly, to ensure every one of you has the tools and opportunities to thrive.

The Next 30 Days

We heard you…getting showing feedback from agents can be tough, but we know how valuable it is for sellers. That’s why we’ve been working with Texting Betty to develop an AI-powered showing feedback assistant. Our pilot group of agents is already seeing a 52% response rate to feedback requests through AI “Betty,” compared to less than 5% before, a huge improvement. We’re now training her to hold full conversations so we can gather more detailed insights. At the end of each exchange, she’s summarizing the feedback, and soon we’ll be sending you weekly summary emails with everything compiled. Eventually, these updates will be integrated directly into your weekly listing reports for a seamless experience.

Social Media Update

We’ve seen incredible growth across our social platforms — a 181% increase in reach and a 70% increase in both profile activity and visits. This month, our focus shifts to driving interactions and building lead magnets that turn engagement into opportunity. We’ve also be launching a weekly marketing series with a day-by-day posting plan to make content creation easier and more intentional. New content layers will be added, including social trends, hyper-local highlights, and plug-and-play templates. 

Zillow in the News:

Zillow has been in the headlines lately as new lawsuits surface around its mortgage and advertising partnerships. As with many large companies in our industry, litigation often becomes a tool, a way to disrupt, distract, or pressure change. We saw this firsthand last year during the commission's lawsuit that swept through the industry. These situations can create noise and uncertainty, but they rarely tell the full story. The reality is, most of these challenges play out over years, not weeks, and they don’t change the fundamentals of how we serve our clients.

My advice: stay grounded. Don’t get caught up in the headlines or the social media chatter. Instead, double down on relationships.  Focus on your referral partners, past clients, and community connections. That’s the foundation of long-term success no matter what’s happening at the corporate or industry level. When you operate with integrity, put your clients’ best interests first, and communicate clearly, your business will not only withstand the noise, it will thrive because of the trust you build through it.

What I’m Reading

I have enjoyed all of Brene Brown’s books and this one does not disappoint.  It provides great insights on the mindset and skills needed to reclaim our focus and growth potential.  I would also recommend listening to the audio version.  Brene takes moments to connect with the audience directly and with that Texas accent it’s hard to shut her off.  Enjoy!

Give ‘em a follow:

@dianakander content has been a refreshing take on growth and challenging myself.  Don’t get caught in the loop of what works today is always going to work. 

Tech

I recently asked a video editing expert which platform they preferred: CapCut or Edits. Their take was that Edits has the edge, though I’m still partial to CapCut. Here’s a quick video comparison if you want to see the differences for yourself.

No real tie into the message…Just thought I would show Flea some love since I mentioned him on the monthly meeting yesterday.

GL