Susan Patton has been a realtor for more than a decade. She and her husband run the Patton Group out of RE/MAX Integrity in Tomball, Texas, serving North Houston, the Woodlands, Conroe, and Montgomery County. Their son works part time as the team's transaction coordinator.
Patton got her start on a team that was already using CINC, and it worked out better than she could have known at the time. A friend who'd been in real estate for years recruited her the moment she passed her licensing exam, business cards already ordered. That friend, Sheila, had been running on CINC for years, and when Sheila retired, Patton inherited not just the team and its name, but a CINC pipeline already stocked with years of relationships. What started as someone else's platform has become the backbone of Patton's business: between the two of them, the Patton Group has now run on CINC for about 14 years, and it still drives roughly 40 percent of their income today.
We sat down with Susan to hear how CINC fits into her lead mix, which features she relies on most, and the long-game client relationships that have defined her business, including one that took three years to close and another that generated over $1.5 million across two transactions.
Watch her full video here or read the Q&A below.
Tell us a little about who you are and what your business looks like today.
My name is Susan Patton and I've been a realtor for about 10 plus years. Our team is called the Patton Group, and it's myself and my husband. Our son is also our transaction coordinator, he works part time for us. We're with RE/MAX Integrity in Tomball, Texas, and we mostly service the Houston area, focusing on North Houston, the Woodlands, Conroe, and Montgomery County.
How did you get started with CINC?
When I got my license, I had a dear friend who'd been a realtor for years. As soon as she found out I passed the test, she was on my doorstep. She said, “You're joining my team, I've already ordered your business cards, and you cannot say no.” She already had CINC, and she was also buying Zillow leads. So basically I was baptized by fire. She threw all these platforms at me at once, and I had to learn it quickly.
When she retired, I was able to take over the team and change the name, but I kept the platform, which was wonderful because she'd already had it for years. All together, I think we've had it for about 14 years now.
How does CINC compare to your other lead sources?
I personally think it's not so much about the lead as it is the person working the leads. If we do what we're supposed to do and call, we will get people on the phone. We'll find leads that are ready to buy, or they're ready to start looking and might not be ready for another year or two. But if you do what you're supposed to do, it's a fantastic platform.
The consistency and quality of the leads have always been very, very good. I don't consider it a cold lead platform, because they've signed up. They've voluntarily given us their phone number, their name, their email. They've come to us looking for property. It's all about how you handle the platform and how you work it.
From January through June this year, seven of our closings came from CINC leads, totaling $3,342,900 in sales volume. Two of those seven were repeat CINC clients, which I think is extremely important, because when you develop that trust with people who sign up on your website, they keep coming back to you. Those two repeat clients accounted for $1,708,000 in sales volume, and we were actually able to represent both sides on one of those transactions. I'd say approximately 40 percent of our income each year is generated from CINC leads and CINC repeat transactions.
“I don't consider it to be a cold lead platform, because they've signed up. They've voluntarily given us their phone number, their name, their email, and they've come to us looking for property.”
What's been most useful in your day-to-day workflow?
The dialer is fantastic. If anyone hasn't learned how to use it yet, they really should. It takes the monotony out of calling, because you can throw in 50 to 100 numbers and just let it go, one after another. There are so many ways to use it, you can pause it to put in notes, whatever you need to do.
I also love the transcriber, which I think is one of the newer features. If you're in the car driving and you take a call, or you're talking to a brand new lead and having a really good conversation, but you can't pull over to write anything down, you have that transcriber. You can go back, pull up the conversation, and follow up on their search criteria. I love it.
The Lead Stories
We asked Susan to walk us through the CINC leads that have stuck with her most.
What's one of your most memorable CINC leads?
Five years ago, a CINC client came to town. He was being relocated from New Mexico and brought his whole family. They'd already picked out six or seven houses they wanted to see. We looked at all of them, and I could tell none of it was quite right for them.
I happened to have a listing at the time that checked all their boxes, but with one red flag: it had flooded during Hurricane Harvey, and once before that. I told them about it upfront. They said, let's go look at it anyway. That evening we went under contract, and they loved it.
One month ago, I sold that same house for them. The buyers on that sale weren't represented, so we represented that side too, and we also helped my original client buy a brand new house. All together, that's two transactions with the same client totaling $1,570,000.
And another one that stands out?
Last year I sold a house to a woman who'd been on my platform for three years. She was going through cancer and a very bad divorce, and she was waiting for everything to finish so she and her sister could buy a house together and be closer to family here.
Over those three years I just kept calling her. She'd say, “I'm really not looking at houses right now,” and I'd say, “Cindy, I'm not calling about houses. I want to see how you're doing.” We ended up selling her and her sister a house. That's what CINC is about.
I'm also currently showing houses to a gentleman who joined our platform a year and a half ago. Some of these relationships run for years before they ever turn into a transaction, and that's the point.
Have you done any CINC training, like CINC University?
I've been to two CINC Universitys. The first was when I was still very new, maybe six months into using the platform. I was overwhelmed, still trying to learn the system, but at the same time I was incredibly impressed with how powerful it was and everything it could do. It gave me a hunger to learn the system and use it the best way possible.
Later, my husband joined me, and I took him to Atlanta for a session. We both thoroughly enjoyed it. Every time you go, you learn from everyone in the room, because they've all tried different things, some that worked, some you've never heard of. It's a great way to learn the system and make it work for you. I highly recommend it.
I've also done a lot of the online classes. My manager, Stan, is fantastic, he's been with me for probably 10 years, and he's right there checking in and taking care of anything I need. The support is unbelievable.
What advice would you give an agent weighing an online lead generation platform?
I've introduced this program to several people in my office. There are a lot of agents out there looking for quick deals. They don't have the patience, and that's not really what this business is about, it's about developing relationships.
I compare CINC to a crock pot. It slow cooks and nurtures until you're ready. Most people want to live in a microwave world, they want it fast, and they don't want to take the time. But the clients you nurture over time are the ones who end up being most loyal, and they bring you repeat business. You become part of their lives. I've had fast transactions where the client tells me afterward, “Well, this was an easy one, I just handed it to you.” I've never had a CINC client tell me that. It's just different.
CINC has also given me my biggest personal reward: bringing my husband home to work with me. He told me years ago that once I matched his income, he'd get licensed and come work for me. He didn't think I'd ever do it. He's been my partner for the past three years, and that's when we formed the Patton Group.
Connect with Susan
Want to learn more about the Patton Group or get in touch with Susan directly? Find her here:
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Serving North Houston, the Woodlands, Conroe, and Montgomery County out of RE/MAX Integrity in Tomball, Texas.