Fello + Sisu Webinar Recap: How Agents Will Win the Listing Game in 2025

In our recent webinar with Sisu Interactive, some of our favorite real estate industry leaders shared their strategies for using data to build sustainable, listing-focused real estate businesses in today's challenging market. 

The session featured Ryan Young, CEO and founder of Fello and owner of the The Young Team, Matt Smith, owner of the Matt Smith Real Estate Group, and Brian Charlesworth, CEO and founder of Sisu Interactive. Both Ryan and Matt are Fello and Sisu customers. Their insights reveal a clear path forward for agents and teams looking to make 2025 their best listing year.

Watch the entire webinar on on demand on Fello Academy, or get some of the key ideas below:

The Power of a Listing-First Approach

While many teams struggle in the current market downturn, both The Young Team and Matt Smith Real Estate Group are experiencing remarkable growth. The secret? A deliberate focus on listings for their business models. As Matt Smith powerfully stated during the webinar:

This philosophy has driven both teams to structure their operations around listings, with each maintaining approximately 60% of their business on the listing side. The results speak for themselves — Matt Smith's team is on track to close 700 transactions this year (Matt was also one of the winners of our 30 Day Listing Challenge in May), while The Young Team consistently closes 500 annual transactions with just 15 agents.

P.S. Download CEO Ryan's own 30in30 Playbook to help get more listings ⬇️

Why Seller Leads are the Name of the Game

One of the most compelling insights from the webinar came from Matt Smith's observation about the inherent value of seller leads:

This contrasts sharply with buyer leads, which can become stale or irrelevant over time. The key is understanding that every homeowner in your database is a potential seller — it's just a matter of when, not if, they'll sell.

Leveraging Your Database for Listings

Rather than spending heavily on new lead sources, both teams emphasize maximizing and prospecting their existing databases. The Young Team maintains a database of 55,000 contacts, with 40,000 being homeowners in their target market of Ohio. This foundation allows them to:

• Consistently generate seller opportunities
• Reduce marketing costs
• Build stronger relationships with potential sellers
• Create a predictable pipeline of listing appointments

The Economics of Listings

The profitability discussion revealed some surprising insights. While both Ryan’s and Matt’s teams operate on a 70/30 split (with the team keeping 70%), their listing agents are among their highest earners.

Ryan shared that his team maintains a seven-figure net income with just 15 agents, largely due to their listing-focused approach.

Key Strategies for Success

1. The Three-Day Rule: Matt Smith's team follows a strict three-day follow-up protocol for every seller lead. This includes calls, texts, and emails over three consecutive days, demonstrating the consistency sellers want to see in their listing agent. Don’t leave your sellers hanging.
   
   
2. Database Engagement: Both teams use systematic approaches to engage their databases, regularly providing value and monitoring engagement levels to identify potential sellers. This is done with both Fello for engagement and Sisu for performance monitoring.
   
   
3. Conversion Focus: As Brian Charlesworth noted:

Ryan’s and Matt’s teams are focused on improving conversion rates rather than simply generating more leads. This approach allows them to grow revenue without increasing marketing expenses.

Data-Driven Decision Making: Making Bigger Moves with Confidence

One of the most compelling examples of how data drives growth came from Matt’s 2025 business planning process. During a two-hour deep dive into his numbers and analytics, he discovered a remarkable opportunity:

"I found $4 million in GCI with no more conversations and no more appointments set," Matt revealed. "My appointment set-to-close ratio had tanked... We don't need more leads. We don't need more conversations. We don't even need to set more appointments. We just need to make sure we're focusing on our pipeline."

This kind of insight is only possible with comprehensive data tracking and analysis. Both teams emphasized how having the right data allows them to:

• Distribute opportunities to agents based on their highest likelihood of success in specific areas and price points
• Track conversion rates at every stage of the pipeline
• Identify skill gaps and training opportunities
• Make strategic decisions about resource allocation

"When you do this consistently over a long period of time," Ryan added, "you start to see your conversion increase. And ultimately, the best part about conversion increasing is that my expenses don't increase."

For team leaders, this level of insight also transforms coaching conversations. As Matt Smith explained, "If they meet with me for one-on-ones for 30-60-90 days in a row, they will double their business with no more work because we have the data... now that we know the gap and if they're open-minded and coachable, we can train them through where they can literally double or more their business and not change their behaviors."

Measuring Success

Successful teams track key metrics including:

• Listing appointments set vs. held
• Conversion rates from appointment to listing
• Database engagement levels
• Market share growth

Both Ryan’s and Matt’s teams use technology (Fello and Sisu) to monitor these metrics in real-time, allowing them to identify and address issues and opportunities quickly.

Looking Ahead to 2025

As the real estate market continues to evolve, Ryan, Matt, and Brian emphasized that success will come from:

• Building and nurturing a strong database of homeowners
• Maintaining consistent follow-up processes
• Focusing on conversion improvement rather than lead generation
• Using data to drive decision-making

The message is clear: Agents and teams that want to thrive in 2025 need to shift their focus to listings and leverage their existing databases more effectively. As Ryan Young puts it, it's about "owning your business" rather than renting it through expensive lead sources.

By following these principles and maintaining a listing-focused approach, teams can build sustainable, profitable businesses that grow even in challenging markets.

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Looking to boost your business in 2025? Download CEO Ryan's 30in30 Playbook and try out the strategies and scripts for yourself. Or, book a demo to see how Fello can supercharge your database and help you get more listings. 

If you're already a Fello customer, reach out to your Customer Success Manager or email success@hifello.com for strategies and advice to get more from Fello. Check out Fello Academy to watch the entire webinar!