Zolve is Now a Free Website and Network
October 30, 2007
By: Jay Thompson
Author's Website: http://www.phoenixrealestateguy.com
Zolve (reviewed here) has changed a lot since it was first released 3 weeks ago. The most visible change has been in its pricing model. At launch, a Zolve membership was $395 (intro price. To escalate to $1,000 after year one!). It was recently reduced to $35/year, plus $95 per completed referral.
Today, Zolve announces a complete shift in its pricing model. It is now free to join and use, requiring only a $40 facilitation fee for closed referrals.
I talked to Brian Wilson, Founder of Zolve, a couple of days ago on the phone. I can tell you this — Brian is a sharp, dedicated guy and not afraid to change direction to ensure the success of Zolve. Now that the major complaint has been reZolved (sorry, I couldn’t help myself), there is really no excuse not to at least take a look at Zolve. What remains to be seen is if Zolve can crack into an already saturated social network scene for agents. As it looks to directly impact agent’s earnings, it may just be able to wiggle in there and grab hold.
Below is the pricing change announcement in its entirety:
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| Dear Jay
Zolve launched 3 weeks ago and has improved daily since that launch day. I appreciate all of your involvement and trust that this will truly be a special network of real estate professionals. I also appreciate your patience with us with any errors you have experienced as we have moved to a super-fast dedicated server and implemented positive changes to make your experience the best possible. In order to facilitate the strong growth of our network in markets around the country and world, we have decided to make Zolve completely free of charge. The only cost related to using Zolve will be a $40 facilitation fee charged when you CLOSE a received referral on the network. Thus, you do not pay a penny unless you earn business through the network. That’s pretty fair, isn’t it? Our hope that this change to allowing free access will encourage you to invite professionals that you are already doing business with online. Several referrals have already been sent through our network and members are beginning to grow their network in markets across the country. It is very exciting. If you have any suggestions for new features or tools, please click on “contact Zolve” at the bottom of the page and please let us know. We study every suggestion carefully. Thanks for being part of something special and growing this network with us from the beginning. Regards, |
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Comments
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Drew Meyers on October 30, 2007 8:27 pm
I’m no real estate agent, but this seems like a smart move for Zolve. The subscription fee was definitely a significant barrier to setting up a profile and removing the fee will likely result in a larger number of agents using the platform to send & receive referrals.
jack on October 31, 2007 1:30 am
Real smart move! When I first went to the home page just the audio chick intro. made me want to flee. After seeing the pricing model, I was Audi 5000… never to return. Perhaps worth a second look.. this time I’ll hit the mute button first.
This week in online real estate | Move Trends on November 2, 2007 2:35 pm
[...] Zolve is Now a Free Website and Network. That was a fast business-model reversal. [...]
Scoot on November 3, 2007 6:22 pm
I wasn’t even looking twice at Zolve even when the price was 40.00 or whatever. But now I’ve signed up. As a Realtor there are soooo many outfits that want your money. I’m okay with that but only if it benefits both parties. This may end up being a good thing, we’ll have to wait and see.