If agents want to get the most out of their Gary Keller-recommended four-or-more hours of lead generation every day, they have to have a reliable and measurable plan in place. They have to have a system, and few have led to more success than the one pioneered by CAZA Group founder Rob Chevez. Chevez’s ZONE system empowered him to turn a team of five real estate investors into 13,000. It’s how the CAZA Group reached the top 1% of all Keller Williams companies. And, it’s how Chevez ended up being interviewed by Gary Keller in front of thousands of fellow agents during Mega Camp 2019. In a recent livestream interview with KW senior manager of training Meredith Maples, Chevez outlined his tried-and-true ZONE approach for all of the agents out there struggling to get their lead-gen initiatives off the ground.
Pre-ZONE
Before agents step into the ZONE – a geographical area to target your lead gen and an acronym Chevez uses to define his targeting system – they have to do a little soul searching. Begin with these three questions, he suggests:
- Who am I?
- What do I enjoy?
- Who do I like talking to?
By using personal interests to target a database, agents ensure the resulting conversations will feel natural and genuine. It will be less of a sales pitch and more of a conversation between enthusiasts.
Z – Zero In on Your Target Market
After Chevez did a little self-reflection, he discovered that as an entrepreneur he likes talking to other entrepreneurs about their businesses and investments. And, just like that, his target was born. With ambiguity in the rearview, Chevez was free to focus 100% of his efforts on fellow business owners.
Once you know yourself, you know who you’re looking for, and that’s when you’re ready to dip your toes in the ZONE. At this stage, your target has been identified, but to develop a deep knowledge of their preferences and personality quirks, you have to investigate. Start by sharing a little bit about your personal history. “I just spoke from past experience and it just grew from there,” explains Chevez. Find some potential clients who belong to your target and reach out to them, not to ask them if they’re looking to buy or sell a home, but to get to know them on a personal level. The more you understand your target, the easier it will be to speak their language.
O – Own the Mindshare of Their Market
Once you know how to talk like your target, be sure you are the most recognizable voice in their area. There are three ways to do this:
- Engage with your target on social media. Find out what groups and discussion boards they belong to. See what kind of life events they post about. Once you feel comfortable, join in on the conversation.
- Network with your target market. Under normal circumstances, that means shopping where your target market shops, eating where they eat, drinking where they drink. In these unprecedented times, it means creating Facebook groups, hosting virtual happy hours, and trying to replicate in-person encounters through their phones or computers.
- If the organic initiatives go well, it’s time to start putting a little money behind your efforts. Begin with low-cost items like emails and paid social posts. Then you can start thinking about direct mail or signage. For Keller Williams agents, you can do it all with Designs and Campaigns inside Command. The ultimate goal is to make it so when your target thinks about real estate, your name is the first thing that pops into their brain.
N – Nurture Your Database
Equipped with an arsenal of intel, Chevez was ready to start following up with his network and strengthening the bonds he formed during his initial outreach. To better his odds, he diversified his contact methods: alternating between phone calls, text messages, emails, social posts, and even video chats. However, Chevez was careful not to bombard his database with messages, choosing to implement a regimented communication schedule instead.
For Keller Williams agents, making sure none of your clients fall off the bandwagon is effortless. SmartPlans in Command, for example, allows agents to place all of their contacts on templated or custom nurture tracks, either reminding them when to reach out to their clients or sending automated messages on their behalf.
E – Expand and Grow
After establishing himself as an exemplar of his local entrepreneur network, Chevez and his team branched out into new territories and markets by going back to square one and finding new interests to pursue. While the ZONE system remained the same for each new interest, some maintenance was required for the business to grow in an orderly fashion. Like an ever-expanding spider web, Chevez kept each vertical together by forming connections across industries.
For agents looking to manage their growth while continuing to provide value to their clients, it’s important to find reliable vendors in each target area that they can recommend at a moment’s notice. By establishing himself as the person his clients can turn to for a variety of solutions, Chevez solidified his mindshare and market share in multiple industries and regions.
Next Steps
Are you ready to adapt the ZONE system to your business?
- Start by listening to all the great advice Chevez shared with Meredith Maples on KW Connect.
- See how over 60,000 other agents are keeping their businesses thriving while social distancing by joining the Pivot: Shift Ahead Facebook group.
- Read all of the great Outfront content about navigating a changing business landscape.
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