How Real Estate Investors Can Use AI to Convert More Leads

Maria Pavona (00:00)
Biggest problem we’re solving is a few. It’s ⁓ it’s really a speed to lead. A lot of people get leads in through Google, it goes to their website and then goes to their email. Somebody might miss it. So, what we’ve really done is transitioned those leads from actual leads into converted clients. And the way we do that is making sure that those are going into our system. There’s automations for the follow-ups, things like that. So the really the biggest thing is making sure.

These owners aren’t missing leads. They’re being handled correctly. So this way they can scale. A lot of time one lead missed could be thousands and thousands of dollars. So we’re really trying to hone in on making sure that every opportunity they have to make more money that they’re they’re really doing.

Michelle Kesil (02:11)
Hey everybody, welcome to the Real Estate Pros Podcast. I’m your host, Michelle Kesil Today I’m joined by someone I’m looking forward to chatting with, Maria Pavona, the founder of Ryzeus a CRM software company and business consulting platform. So excited to have you here today, Maria.

Maria Pavona (02:30)
Thanks so much, Michelle. It’s great to be here.

Michelle Kesil (02:32)
Great, so let’s dive in. First off, for those new to your work, can you share what your main focus is?

Maria Pavona (02:37)
Yes, our main focus is scaling businesses. So we come in more on a consulting side, look at the overall business, understand any type of concerns, any type of goals you’re trying to reach, and then we customize our system to make sure that you’re reaching those goals. So whether that’s you need a website, whether that’s you need more Google reviews or you know, the Google management done or posting on social media, we can do all of that. So every step we make sure that we’re scaling you. So if you’re just a one-man show.

You can’t answer your phone, we can handle that. But our next step would be to actually get you some more exposure to get some more leads in. So we customize a game plan as a growth partner. So it’s a long term relationship where we can help you guys get where you need to get to reach your goals.

Michelle Kesil (03:20)
Amazing. And so what is the process when someone wants to work with you? How do you customize for that claim?

Maria Pavona (03:29)
we start with the strategy session, and that’s where we’ll come on a meeting with the client, we’ll find out a little bit about their business, their goals they’re trying to reach. We’ll usually do a deep dive into their social media, their Google to find out are they getting enough exposure online that they want to, you know, have to be able to scale. So from there, once we find out those details, we customize the package according to their needs and wants. Do you need to scale with your marketing? Do you need help, you know, answering your calls? So no matter what that is.

We find a package that works for them and then from there a growth plan afterwards on what we want to do to help them scale to the next level.

Michelle Kesil (04:03)
And who are the typical clients you work with?

Maria Pavona (04:52)
we have clients from all different industries. We have service-based clients, restoration, air quality. I have attorneys. ⁓ I do have some realtors and some investors that like to utilize our platform. ⁓ what I’ve seen so far with the investors and realtors is they need something to be able to answer their calls after hours so they’re not missing anything. So that’s where we can set up a customized AI employee that sounds human to answer all their calls, schedule their appointments, and then send them and their customer the email reminders.

So this way you guys aren’t missing a beat. A lot of people like to go on vacation. A lot of owners feel they can’t go on vacation because if they miss a call or they miss a deadline, they’re not able to really enjoy their vacation. So we found a way to

the owners to be able to relax without having to constantly monitor their phone. Once the call is done with the AI assistant, the owner will get an email with the full transcript of everything that was said. And also it will put it into the system for them. So we have the CRM system attached with the AI employee.

Michelle Kesil (05:48)
And what differentiates your product from others out there?

Maria Pavona (05:53)
⁓ it is really about the care of the customer and the background of the consulting that we have. We’ve worked with so many different industries that we’ve gotten to know the owners and their needs. So, what sets us apart is other CRM companies will come, hand you a CRM subscription and say good luck. We actually monitor our clients to make sure that they’re scaling to the next level and provide them with different resources. So this CRM system is customized according to them. Everybody’s, you know, different on how they want to operate.

different automations they might need, contracts sent out, things like that. So we really look at it as every customer, whether you’re a one-man show or a huge corporation, is important to us. So we want to make sure that we customize according to each client to make sure it’s meeting their needs, which no other CRM system really does.

Michelle Kesil (06:36)
And what is the biggest problem that you are solving for your customers?

Maria Pavona (06:41)
Biggest problem we’re solving is a few. It’s ⁓ it’s really a speed to lead. A lot of people get leads in through Google, it goes to their website and then goes to their email. Somebody might miss it. So, what we’ve really done is transitioned those leads from actual leads into converted clients. And the way we do that is making sure that those are going into our system. There’s automations for the follow-ups, things like that. So the really the biggest thing is making sure.

These owners aren’t missing leads. They’re being handled correctly. So this way they can scale. A lot of time one lead missed could be thousands and thousands of dollars. So we’re really trying to hone in on making sure that every opportunity they have to make more money that they’re they’re really doing.

Michelle Kesil (07:20)
What have been some of the main keys that you feel have allowed your business to be able to grow and run successfully?

Maria Pavona (07:29)
I mean, one of the biggest things is referrals. Once a client works with us, they tell their friends about us because before they might have been struggling with reviews or their Google or answering a call. So some of the biggest client bases that we have are referred customers from other customers because they know like and use the system. So they definitely want to tell everybody about it. So we’re scaling very, very quickly.

Michelle Kesil (07:50)
And what has been the biggest challenge or hurdle that you’ve overcome through this process?

Maria Pavona (07:57)
I think the biggest challenge and hurdle is really setting ourselves apart, which honestly didn’t take any time considering we have the consulting background. So at first it was really, you know, getting our name out there, getting our brand out there, making sure that everybody understands our full, you know, offer on what we can do for them. And it’s you know, any any startup business will always have some hurdles, you know, making sure that everybody’s happy is really important to us. So

I’d say the biggest one is just, you know, getting our name out there a little bit, which we’re now doing. And other than that, everything’s been amazing.

Michelle Kesil (08:31)
What are you most focused on solving or scaling to next?

Maria Pavona (09:10)
we are looking to scale to a household name for business owners, you know, that they know, like and trust us and understand our message is very different and that we really genuinely care about helping them get to their next level.

Michelle Kesil (09:25)
And what does that partnership look like between you and your clients?

Maria Pavona (09:30)
it looks like a lot of consulting as far as them coming in and us keeping an eye. We have great support if they ever need anything. We have a very strong team behind us. So it’s not just, you know, me and the other owner. It’s it’s a lot of people behind us that have their own areas of expertise. So it’s a lot of, you know, making sure the owner’s set up some one on one time with them, you know, in the beginning just to make sure we’re reaching their goals. And then from there, they usually utilize the system and we follow back up.

as we watch their progress and make recommendations on the next steps to get to the next level.

Michelle Kesil (10:01)
And is it a subscription service?

Maria Pavona (10:03)
Yes.

Michelle Kesil (10:04)
So like a monthly model?

Maria Pavona (10:06)
Mm-hmm.

Yep, it’s ongoing. It’s just like any other CRM, if you think like QuickBooks or, you know, Pipe Drive or something like that, the only difference is is usually they they set it and forget it. Once you’re signed up with them, that’s it. with us, again, it’s a scale model. It’s a business partnership to where we’re gonna help aid in that success and make sure that if we have anything else coming out, we’re always trying to keep them aha ahead of the trends to make sure that their business is in front of the public eye and they’re standing out.

So we try to make them different because we’re different as well.

Michelle Kesil (10:36)
And what are the goals that you have for where you want your business to go or anything that else you want to create or add to your services?

Maria Pavona (10:45)
⁓ yeah, so eventually we’re gonna be adding ⁓ some sales teams, things like that, because I know that a lot of customers want call-out features. ⁓ our system does do the call-out options, but we want to make sure that it’s completely compliant due to telemarketing laws. So eventually we want to get it to where not only can the AI employee answer the calls, but it could also make the outbound calls as well, which were right there. So

A lot of people really need sales. So we’re also partnering up with some amazing companies. ⁓ I have a canvaser that we partner up with where he goes out and helps find jobs for people. So we have a lot of networking opportunities where we really support the people that work with us. And then from there we can offer their services to others in our network as well. Because sometimes people like to be able to work with who you know like and trust. So it’s always important to have different resources for people.

Michelle Kesil (11:35)
Yeah, absolutely. And what is some advice you would give to business owners that are looking for the support that you give?

Maria Pavona (11:44)
some advice I would give is if your business has any type of hurdles or you feel like you’re stagnant or there’s just something you can’t solve, just jump on a call with us because within a couple of minutes I can analyze your business and figure out some strategies on where you can change some things to be able to scale. We think outside the box, and a lot of our our our ideas are very different. So it really gives them the opportunity to talk to somebody that can stay ahead of the curb and can look at them as an individual business rather than

like everybody else, because everybody’s in a different area. They have their own services. How do I make them stand apart?

Michelle Kesil (12:19)
Since our listeners are in the real estate industry, how would your product benefit them the most?

Maria Pavona (12:26)
it would benefit them due to the reputation management. So we can automate their Google reviews. ⁓ I know that a lot of them are busy, you’re on meetings, you know, you have different customers you work with. So in that time, you don’t want to miss calls. So we really recommend our AI employee so they can actually be at appointments, not worry about missing calls, their calendars handled for them, it make sure that they don’t overbook them. ⁓ we have an app that goes along with it as well. So for your basic infrastructure.

that’s what you really want to utilize this for is making sure that your business is still flowing the way that it should and all the customers are being taken care of. And if you’d like, I can let you ⁓ hear our AI employee.

Michelle Kesil (13:04)
Sure, go for it.

Maria Pavona (13:46)
Okay. So this is Rylee. She is trained for our system, but again, each AI employee is customized and trained for each individual business because a lot of them might have a different process or want different things said. So we can customize. And she’s also bilingual, so I’ll let you hear her.

Rylee, how’s your day going so far? Hey, Rylee. My day is going great. I’m sitting here on a podcast with some realtors and they were wondering a little bit about the AI employee and what it can do for them.

to hear your dates.

Need it.

Is usually

exactly how this would fit their business. Hey, Rylee, would you like to get that scheduled for Rylee, are you realtors? Are we able to create certain workflows for them? So this way when a customer comes in, it will go into their system.

Absolutely.

We schedule a strategy consultation so our team can map out the ex

And then we can double check and make sure that they are, you know, as far as their Google calendar or other calendars, that integrates well, correct?

Yes you got it.

team will walk you through their setup and and Rylee, can can this also can this also qualify their customers to make sure that they’re not getting customers that they may not be interested in or don’t meet their their goals?

Exactly. The AI employee

Thank you, Rylee. So that is Rylee, our AI employee. So basically, you name it, we train it. And then from there it can qualify the customers, schedule the appointments. It’s it’s really nice. We have one realtor that’s been with us for over a year. He’s actually a public adjuster as well. And he loves it. ⁓ he was at first a little nervous. He’s never had an assistant in his life. And once he got our AI assistant, he always calls us so excited because she learns as she goes.

And also he’s like, she kept me on point because the other day I didn’t even realize that I had an appointment and she’s sending me reminders. Hey, don’t forget about this. And he’s like, I would have lost that sale if it wasn’t for the AI employee. So people really don’t understand how much time they really get back when they have something behind the scenes supporting them. we hear a lot of people using after-hour call assistance overseas. Not only are they extremely expensive, but

You have to keep going back and changing and trading out your team with with this. You know, we train them, they learn as they go. And, you know, we test everything thoroughly before we actually put it live. And it still gives the customer, well, the realtors, the opportunity to answer the phone call first. So what we have it do is we can either set it to full AI mode where it just answers all the calls. But my recommendation is let your phone ring. If you’re available, pick it up. If not, instead of going to voicemail,

it’ll go to the AI assistant. And again, all they have to do is let us know exactly what they want us to do. We train it, they name it, and then they’re good to go.

Michelle Kesil (16:27)
Amazing, such a cool feature. Thank you so much for sharing and showing us that.

Maria Pavona (16:31)
Absolutely.

Michelle Kesil (16:32)
So before we begin to wrap up here, if someone wants to reach out, connect, and learn more, where can people find you?

Maria Pavona (16:38)
It would be on ryzeus.com So that’s r-y-z-e-us dot com. It’s like rise with us because again, as we help you, you scale and we’re rising with you to make sure that anything that you need, we’re you’re meeting those needs and reaching your goals with you.

Michelle Kesil (16:57)
Perfect. Appreciate your time and your story. Thank you for being here.

Maria Pavona (17:00)
Absolutely.

Michelle Kesil (17:01)
And for the listeners tuning in, if you got value, make sure you’ve subscribed. We’ve got more conversations with operators like Maria who are building real businesses. And we’ll see you on the next episode.