The real deal about Zillow - Inside Sales Consultant Zillow Employee Review

5.0
Dec 10, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

There is honestly a ton of benefits from working at Zillow but I'm only going to address the top 3. LEADERSHIP: Anyone in real estate knows the 3 golden rules for success which is location, location and location. In my opinion the 3 golden rules for corporate success is leadership, leadership, leadership. If I ever quit Zillow, they have switched up how I would search for a new job. The first thing I would investigate is the leaderships track record and let's be honest Zillow's leadership is about as good as it gets. Spencer's natural charisma and knack for leadership gets two thumbs up from me. Don't get me wrong I know Zillow is a Team Sport and we have hundred's, actually thousands of very talented people but I believe the top executives are responsible for the long term growth. COMPENSATION: All and all Zillow's compensation is fair. You can definitely make really good money but be ready to grind you tail off, lucky for me I don't mind. When you throw in all the company functions, health benefits, 401K match, bonuses, regular hosted lunches, bus pass, PassPort card and much more, Zillow makes it worth it to work 10-12 days. WORK ENVIRONMENT: If you are a person that has high energy, likes loud music, likes wearing relaxed attire, competitive nature, likes to play video game at break time, working in a beautiful high profile modern building, watching the sunrise from behind Mt Rainer or watching the whales swim by at sunset in the Puget Sound........you might want to apply at Zillow

Cons

Only a couple negative ones.... I've been here for just under 5 years and personally had issues that really started to surface after we went public which I suppose typically happens. My main issues were pay related because I was hired on at certain splits and then one day they just announce they are changing it. It seems to change up a few times a year now. It's not always in the same form but they are always trying a way to push us harder to get the dangling carrot. I get it that it's good for the Zillow bottom line but it burns people out pretty quickly and ultimately provides lower level customer service to clients because we are pushed to bring on more new clients over anything else. It's an endless circle. We are so big now and unless you are a person that likes to schmooze you can often feel like your efforts go unnoticed. If you are single with no kids it's much easier to advance because you can participate in all the after work functions. I feel trapped in my position because I don't feel like I can make as much money in a different position within the company.

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Zillow Response
11y
Thanks for taking the time to share your experience and thanks for your contributions since the early days of Inside Sales at Zillow. I am glad you appreciate the culture you've helped create over the years and I share your feelings. I'd like to address your concerns and then would be happy to meet with you to discuss them further if you'd like: Regarding comp changes, we are very sensitive to this concern and try to make as few as possible - I believe we make fewer than most inside sales organizations but in a growing business, there are instances when it's required to make sure we're finding the right balance between hitting our sales objectives and giving our people the opportunity to earn as much or more in the adjusted commission plan. Our approach with sales people has always been to help them realize their potential, achieve their income goals, and outline a clear path towards advancing in their careers, whether it be going into management or field sales. If you have ideas on how to motivate long time contributors like yourself, I would like to know about them - some of our best ideas have come from our people. As it relates to the challenge of managing your time with a large client base, we know the challenge and truly value the interaction our people have with clients post sale- it's one of the things that makes our sales organization great. It's important for the health of the sales person's business as well as Zillow's overall to deliver the best client service while still bringing aboard new clients to our business. Thanks again for your feedback and I look forward to speaking with you further. Doug Slotkin VP, Local Ad Sales

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Zillow Response
1mo
Thank you for sharing such a detailed perspective. We understand that frequent changes to roles, account ownership and business priorities can have a real impact on relationship-building and the day-to-day experience in sales. We’re glad to hear compensation was a positive part of your time at Zillow, and we appreciate you being candid about where the model and structure felt frustrating. Feedback like yours helps us better understand how these changes are experienced across teams as the business evolves.
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