Diagnostic · Zillow Preferred and Flex teams

Your leads are converting worse.

Almost never because the leads got worse. Six causes, in the order I find them, and the three numbers to pull before you escalate to anyone.

Written by Michael Schuerman, one of 15 people on the original Zillow Go-To-Market team that brought Flex, now Preferred, to market. Updated September 2026.

Coach vs. consultant vs. the seat

A coach asks questions. A consultant hands over a report. I take the seat.

A coach helps you find your own answer. That's the job, and it works for a lot of people.

A consultant tells you what the answer is, hands you a plan, and steps back. That works too, if you have the bandwidth to run the plan yourself.

I don't do either. I take the operating seat and own the weekly work with the owner.

Taking the seat looks like this: the right person ends up in the right role, not just a good person in whatever seat was open. There's a meeting structure that runs without you chasing it down every week. And when a Zillow policy shifts, a market turns, or your best agent leaves, the team has a documented process for it, because the business was never built to depend on any one person.

Why are Zillow Preferred leads not converting?

Zillow Preferred conversion usually falls for six reasons: slower speed to first contact, appointments set but not held, connections spread too evenly across the roster, new agents with no ramp, no single person owning the number weekly, and a bottom third absorbing volume without closing. Lead quality is rarely the cause.

Zillow scores team leads against published program performance standards, including published transaction and partner-performance expectations. Volume follows those numbers, so a quiet month is usually a scorecard problem before it is a Zillow problem.

The six causes

Speed to contact, not lead quality

The single largest predictor of whether a connection turns into an appointment is how fast a human reaches the person. Teams that believe the leads got worse almost always have a response time that got worse first. Pull last month's first-contact times before you blame the source.

Appointments set but not held

A held appointment rate under two thirds is a confirmation problem, not a lead problem. No reminder sequence, no day-of confirmation call, no reschedule discipline. This is the cheapest number on the board to fix and the one most teams never look at.

Connections spread across too many agents

When everyone gets a few, nobody gets enough reps to get good. Concentrating volume on the agents who convert feels unfair and raises the team number. Spreading it evenly feels fair and lowers it.

No ramp, so new hires learn on live connections

If a new agent's training is their first ten connections, you paid for that education with closings. A defined first ninety days with role play, shadowing, and a conversion standard stops the bleed.

Nobody owns the number

In most teams the owner is the top producer and the de facto sales manager, which means conversion is reviewed when there is time. There is never time. The number moves when one accountable person reviews it weekly with the team in the room.

The bottom third is invisible

Every roster has producers who have closed nothing in ninety days. In a performance-scored program they are not neutral, they are consuming connections that would have converted elsewhere. Name the review point, then honor it.

Pull these three first

Twenty minutes of data.

1. Median time to first live contact, last two months.
2. Held appointment rate against appointments set.
3. How many producers closed nothing in the last ninety days.

Those three separate a process problem from a skill problem from a roster problem. Everything you do next depends on which one it is.

The six moves that fix it

Questions team owners ask

Conversion, coaching, and the seat

Why are my Zillow Preferred leads not converting?+

In order of likelihood: response time slipped, appointments are being set but not held, connections are spread too thin across the roster, new hires have no ramp, nobody owns the conversion number weekly, and the bottom third of the roster is absorbing volume without producing. Lead quality is rarely the first cause, though it is almost always the first explanation.

What is a good conversion rate on Zillow Preferred connections?+

The rate that matters is your own trend, month over month, on three checkpoints: contact made, appointment set, appointment held, then closed. Teams argue about benchmarks and ignore the fact that their own held rate dropped fifteen points in a quarter. Fix the checkpoint that fell.

Did Zillow send me worse leads this month?+

Volume in the program is awarded on performance, so a drop usually follows a metric that slipped on your side rather than a change on Zillow's side. Before you escalate, pull speed to first contact and held appointment rate for the last two months and compare them.

Will a Zillow Preferred coach fix conversion?+

Coaching fixes conversion when the gap is agent skill, which it sometimes is. It does not fix conversion when the gap is that no one inside the business owns the number and runs the roster. An Operating Partner takes that accountable seat, carries the number, and runs hiring and cadence directly rather than advising you on them.

How fast can conversion be improved?+

Speed to contact and held appointment rate can move inside thirty days because both are process fixes. Roster changes and ramp improvements show up over two quarters. Anyone promising a closed-conversion turnaround in a month is selling you a script.

What would you look at first in my team?+

Three numbers: median time to first live contact, held appointment rate, and how many producers closed nothing in the last ninety days. Those tell me whether you have a process problem, a skill problem, or a roster problem, and they take about twenty minutes to pull.

How do I hit my Zillow Preferred buyer transaction target?+

Zillow measures a team lead on attainment against a monthly buyer transaction target over a trailing period, so one bad month is survivable and one bad quarter is not. Work backwards from the target: closings needed, appointments held per closing, contacts per appointment held. Then fix the earliest checkpoint that is short. Chasing more connections while the held rate is broken makes the ratio worse, not better.

Can my team get removed from Zillow Preferred for low conversion?+

Zillow publishes performance standards for team leads and agents and reduces or reallocates volume when a team sits below them, which is why the program feels like it dried up before anyone tells you anything. Read the current standards on Zillow's own page, then track your team against those exact metrics weekly rather than finding out at a review.

How does agent capacity and lead routing affect conversion?+

Routing decides who gets the reps, and reps decide who converts. If capacity is set evenly across the roster, your best closers are starved and your weakest are overfed. Set capacity from trailing conversion, review it monthly, and pause agents who are not working what they already have.

Do Zillow's program standards affect my volume?+

Zillow's published standards include transaction targets and partner performance expectations. Review how each one is defined and where your team stands.

Should I fix conversion before I hire more agents?+

Almost always yes. Adding agents to a team with a broken held-appointment rate spreads the same connections thinner and drops the team number further. Get contact speed and held rate stable for sixty days, then add headcount into a ramp that already works.

Send me the three numbers.

Thirty minutes. I will tell you which of the six it is. If it's a fit, you'll get a firm price before you commit to anything.

Apply for a call

Google reviews

What people who worked with me wrote on Google.

Michael is one of those people who combines a deep understanding of real estate and PropTech with the ability to actually turn that knowledge into action. His experience at Zillow and throughout the real estate industry gives him a perspective that is difficult to find, especially when it comes to growth, operations, sales, partnerships, and the challenges that come with scaling a business. What I appreciate most about Michael, though, is that he isn't someone who just throws out advice from the sidelines. He digs into the problem, understands the people and systems involved, and helps figure out what actually needs to happen next. He has a strong operator's mindset, an incredible network, and a genuine desire to help the people around him succeed. If you're building a PropTech company, growing a real estate organization, working with Zillow, or simply need an experienced business operator who understands how sales and operations fit together, Michael is absolutely someone worth talking to. I know him personally, trust his judgment, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend him.

Albert VolkmanReal estate and PropTech peer · Google Local Guide5 star review on Google

I had the pleasure of working with Michael for several years as one of my very first Zillow Flex Advisors, and I can genuinely say he was also one of my favorites! Michael played a major role in helping me grow not only as a team leader, but also in building the foundation and operational structure that helped my team become the top-performing team we are today. He constantly challenged me to think bigger, expand my team, strengthen our systems, and create better processes around agent accountability, performance metrics, and overall operations. What I appreciated most about Michael was that he never just told me what I wanted to hear. He provided honest feedback, thoughtful suggestions, and introduced me to different tools and systems that helped take my business to the next level. His dedication to seeing my team succeed was always evident. Even today, although we no longer work together directly, we remain in communication, and I know that if I ever needed his advice or feedback, I could still reach out to him. To me, that speaks volumes about the relationship we built. Michael was truly a key contributor to my growth and success, and I will always appreciate the time, knowledge, and support he invested in me and my business. If you are looking for someone who will challenge you, hold you accountable, help you put the right systems in place, and genuinely support you in growing your team and your business, Michael is absolutely your guy!

KeAnna JonesZillow Preferred partner · Team owner5 star review on Google

I had the pleasure of working closely with Michael during my time at a real estate brokerage, and I can't recommend him enough. Michael possesses a remarkable ability to focus on the big picture while never losing sight of the details that matter. His strategic mindset greatly contributed to our collective success. One of Michael's standout qualities is his commitment to maintaining a positive and inclusive culture. He genuinely listens to the concerns and ideas of those around him, advocating for team members and fostering an environment where everyone feels valued. This not only boosted morale but also enhanced collaboration across the board. As a consultant hired by the brokerage, Michael proved to be an invaluable asset. His insights and expertise were instrumental in driving our initiatives forward. Working with him was not only productive but also a truly enriching experience.

Polina WilliamsRecruiter, real estate brokerage · Owner, SPS Productions5 star review on Google

I met Michael when my business had 23 sales people. Michael architected a business game plan that opened my eyes to the possibility of expansion into new markets- new states- and many more sales people. With his vision and leadership we tripled our sales volume and grew to 90 sales people in 5 different locations. Michael is truly a world-class talent, a consummate professional, and remarkably approachable—someone who immediately earns your confidence as a trusted advisor.

Shawn PillonFounder, ChuckTown Homes5 star review on Google

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