Commissions Inc (CINC) | Reviews and Pricing | 2024
Commissions Inc “CINC” (pronounced “sync”), is a real estate lead generation platform that includes a website, CRM, and brokerage management tools. CINC puts its focus on brokerage tools, including agent accountability, as well as a feature-rich backend. It is one of the top choices to consider for teams and brokerages focused on paid leads.
Located in Marietta, GA, CINC has become a trusted brand in the years since its inception in 2011. Commissions Inc was acquired by Fidelity National Financial, as was Real Geeks. Both are platforms/websites with CRM backends. Commissions Inc is designed for larger teams and brokerages, while Real Geeks is generally oriented more toward individual real estate agents and smaller teams.
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Use CINC if…
- You are a team that wants an all-in-one platform with a flexible backend to convert paid leads
Skip CINC if…
- You want a similar system that is less sophisticated but easier to use out of the box (consider BoomTown)
- You want a usable backend but prize SEO and content marketing as well (consider Sierra Interactive)
- You want similar features for less (consider Lofty)
View Other Real Estate Platforms
CINC Design Examples
CINC sites are designed with only one thing in mind: conversion.
The sites look good, are easy to navigate, and professional. They are not designed for agents and brokers who want to focus on content marketing or SEO. Elements like custom landing pages are not available until the Pro plan, for example. It includes forced registration and many of the elements are not highly customizable. This is deliberate on CINC’s part because they are testing and implementing the highest converting website practices and don’t want agents messing it up!
Many of them put the buyer and their search first and foremost. I notice a lot of CINC users are using URLs like “Search[YourCity]Homes.com” instead of their name or brokerage brand. Some have entirely different websites designed for their brand and content while using their CINC site to send their paid traffic.
That method has pros and cons. I remember doing real estate in my area when some buyers were sharing homes they were finding on my competitors CINC site. They had presumably found it via a Google ad but it wasn’t obvious to them that they were on another Realtor’s site.
The “pro” of this method is that buyers often feel more comfortable browsing and less “sold to” when a site is lightly branded.
The homepage is modern and minimalist, and project a professional image for your online presence. They often feature video backgrounds.
Feel free to check out other Commissions Inc website examples.
Laura Gillott
The Shine Team
Best Features
All-Around-Platform
The backend CRM of Commissions Inc is well regarded. CINC has an intuitive lead management pipeline graphic that shows how far along your leads have progressed.
It is easy to call, email, implement drip campaigns, and text contacts within the program. They have both a client-facing and CRM mobile app.
MLS integration means that you can track what your contacts are looking at in homes.
CINC is a feature rich platform that includes partnerships like one with Structurely, the AI assistant company, to provide responsive chatbots on CINC pages.
Lastly, CINC aggressively added social-distancing friendly technology during the COVID pandemic in 2020, adding the ability for clients to schedule video walkthroughs and virtual open houses.
Paid Leads Conversion
CINC is designed to generate leads with pay-per-click (PPC) marketing campaigns. Yes, you can use the platform without spending on leads. But CINC isn’t designed for agents who aren’t spending money on leads.
They source their leads mostly from Google AdWords, but also Facebook, Instagram, and “ListCast”, which is a retargeting tool that retargets visitors on a variety of these platforms.
Their funnel is prebuilt and not modifiable. After forced registration, users are screened via several questions which allow CINC to both confirm intent and rout leads to the appropriate agent or system. It even includes an invitation to a DISC personality test for your buyer or seller lead.
“Switchboard Sarah” is the CINC phone system that then connects with agents and allows them to call a new prospect with a single click.
CINC relies on behavior-driven follow-up. They previously had a human ISA upsell, but moved away from those in favor of behavioral messaging. These workflows trigger dynamically based on unique behavior on the site, like logging in after 30 days of inactivity. They even will send emails at the time that the program has seen clients most often check mail, trying to improve open rates. If you’re still interested in ISAs, they’ve partnered with Verse.io as an option, too.
Some CINC user reviews complain of the quality of the leads. But that is a common refrain among many agents about Internet and social media leads in general.
Other reviewers gushed about how much of their business comes from the Commissions Inc paid leads program.
As always, it is about follow-up, and that is on you, the agent. But CINC has the tools necessary to convert and win clients.
Team Management
The CINC real estate CRM is designed for teams and brokerages, and has a very effective team management backend.
It includes sophisticated lead routing that includes capping leads, weighting, and auto-reassigns based on the rules you set. It includes manager oversight, and each agent gets their own subdomain version of your website to share with their own clients.
Biggest Pitfalls
A Lot to Master
One common theme in Commissions Inc reviews is the learning curve.
The platform’s strength is also a weakness. There is a lot to do and set up to get the most out of it. There are many features and toys, but it takes dedication and focus to get everything running smoothly. It is not always the most intuitive or usable real estate platform.
Mediocre Website Customization
There is more flexibility than competitor BoomTown, but Commissions Inc is in the same category. It is a site designed for lead conversion. As such, the emphasis is less on bespoke website design and more on a single, high converting structure that works for all CINC agents and brokers.
The backend is far more customizable, from micro-managing action plans and more. This critique is limited to the consumer-facing website.
You can often get around this obstacle by paying for custom development with a service like Cherie Young.
No Ownership
This is true of many lead generation systems and not just CINC.
With a CINC website, you don’t really own your website or lead generation. You are renting it.
CINC if your website’s landlord. They own the property. If you switch to another company, you will be essentially starting from scratch on your site. Apparently, they even own your website’s domain, meaning you likely wouldn’t even be able to keep your website URL if you walk.
That’s not that different from the paid advertising that you are presumably doing as well. PPC is “renting” Google traffic, after all. As soon as you turn off the dollars, the leads stop.
Be sure to simultaneously develop strong alternative pillars of your business that can step in should the PPC lead systems fail.
Commissions Inc Pricing*
- $1500/mo for CINC Pro
- $500/mo + paid advertising
- Paid add ons like the dialer
- No contract
CINC has four products.
- CINC Pro
- CINC Pro Agent (Solo)
- CINC Ramp
- CINC Enterprise
- CINC Pro Lender
Commissions Inc charges $1500/mo just for the CINC Pro platform. Their Solo package is for a single agent and starts lower, minus the team tools like lead routing or call automation, and Ramp is for 1-4 agent teams.
They have custom Enterprise pricing and features for brokerages and teams of 50+ users.
Leads are extra and start at $500/mo spend. If you are using CINC, you are using it because of the paid leads and should budget for that cost.
Some add-ons are at an extra cost, like the dialer.
Unlike other comparable platforms, CINC has no contract or commitment.
*This is current to the best of my knowledge at the time of this writing. Contact the vendor directly to check current prices, discounts, and terms.
My Personal Recommendation
I personally am a content marketer and prefer building a website as an asset that can rank on Google without my having to spend money on leads. CINC is not that solution.
But CINC is highly regarded by users and used by a significant fraction of the top 250 real estate professionals according to Real Trends. If PPC is your main prospecting strategy, CINC is very much worth your consideration.
Some criticism of CINC appears to have come during their acquisition by Fidelity National Finance in 2016. It is possible there were some merging pains during that transition. The most recent reviews seem to suggest they have corrected some of those issues.
In fact, I see brokerages and teams bouncing from product to product all the time. But, anecdotally, CINC users seem to stay put more often than not. That says something!
The Commissions Inc cost and style is very comparable to BoomTown. I recommend doing demos with both lead generation platforms if you are looking for a premium PPC leads solution for real estate teams and brokerages. CINC suggests that BoomTown casts a wider net on leads, meaning you will get more but lower converting than with CINC.
CINC Videos
