Cecilian Partners, Inc.

Hello from The Innovative 50 at Circle T Ranch! We’ve gathered many of the real estate industry's most forward-thinking leaders and entrepreneurs for a day of learning and collaboration around tech and the modern customer experience. As land developers, homebuilders, financial partners, and more, we’re here to challenge each other to keep the customer at the center of everything we do. Our co-founder and CEO John Cecilian, Jr. kicked things off with three requests for our guests: ➡ Truly contemplate the future of our industry. ➡ Hear and learn from the best of the best in customer experience and loyalty. ➡ Push each other to create real and meaningful connections. As John said in his opening remarks, innovation isn’t just about coming up with a new idea. It’s the implementation of a great idea with impact. #Inno50 #innovation #customerexperience #tech #realestateindustry

🎉 We’re thrilled to have been part of Mayfest, the inaugural celebration of the all-new Mayfair community in New Braunfels, TX! 🎉 Congrats to the Southstar team – including marketing director Kristi Robinson, CFO Benjamin (BJ) Jones, CEO Thad Rutherford, and marketing agency Strada Made – on a successful launch last weekend, with hundreds of attendees showing up for a sneak peek of the very first homes. Our team was on hand to equip Mayfair’s roster of homebuilders with BrightDoor Touch and Digital Passport. Using a simple touchscreen interface, home shoppers could sign in with their email, scan a QR-enabled "passport," or register – right in a model home, welcome center, or (in this case) pop-up tent. ☑ We worked with Southstar on an email push ahead of the event, sending Passport registration links to all customers who had RSVP’d. ☑ Attendees simply scanned their unique QR code or entered their emails to get more info about specific builders and homes… ☑ …and builders received their contact info, either via direct CRM integration or by email. Shout out to the sales teams from Coventry Homes, Highland Homes, Perry Homes, Toll Brothers, David Weekley Homes, Scott Felder Homes, LLC and Wes Peoples Homes. It was a pleasure doing the tech training with you! 👉 We're ALL tired of the 5x7 notecards. Contact us today about modernizing the way you engage with homebuyers. https://lnkd.in/eBQyWmdz #homebuilders #homebuyers #masterplannedcommunities #realestateindustry

Hats off to our intrepid CFO, Jennifer Cecilian! 🌟 In 2022, Jennifer was chosen as a Philadelphia Business Journal 40 Under 40 Honoree for her role in Cecilian Partners’ extraordinary growth and funding success. Today, PBJ published its new 40 Under 40 list with a feature on alumni who are still making moves. We’re thrilled to share Jennifer’s accomplishments over the past year, along with the attitude that keeps her winning: “Despite the naysayers, the no-thank-you’s, and the constant feedback that it couldn’t be done, Cecilian Partners’ Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Cecilian achieved a remarkable feat in 2023. The firm landed a $12M capital raise during one of the worst economic climates for startups in recent times. The company also doubled annual revenue and tripled headcount – all while Jennifer led the implementation of a new ERP system, laying the groundwork for rapid growth and enhanced financial transparency. 💪 Recognizing that we’re each responsible for creating the change we want, Jennifer notes, “The last 18 months taught me to lean in, not give in, to my insecurities.”  Her journey isn't solely defined by professional milestones. Over the past year, she ran her first marathon, turned her family’s dream of owning a farm into a reality, and established a 501(c)(3) to care for their menagerie of adopted animals. Jennifer’s mantra: ignore doubters, embrace challenges.” Keep it up, Jenny. We’re behind you all the way 💯 #team #womenbusinessleaders #womenleaders #leadership #realestateindustry

Too many real estate firms massively undervalue customer experience, especially in the new home market. Most of the time, the problem starts at the top. As our CEO, John Cecilian, Jr., recently shared: “Senior executives often conflate customer ‘experience’ with customer ‘service’. They are indeed two sides of the same coin; however, customer experience has a direct attribution to revenue performance and the lifetime value of the customer.” ✅ Fact: The brands that understand how to deliver CX have higher YOY growth, higher product margins, and real, lasting customer loyalty. CX must be a top-down strategic approach, not an initiative thrown over to the marketing department. It has to be part of your entire operating model. ➜ Our tech is purpose-built to accelerate the power of your operations to deliver better CX. Get in touch with us to learn more: https://lnkd.in/eBQyWmdz #customerexperience #customersuccess #leadership #realestateindustry

Excited to see our co-founder and CEO, John Cecilian, Jr., in the 5th anniversary edition of Invest: Philadelphia! 😃 Compiled by Capital Analytics, this yearly report for investors features insights and analysis from industry leaders on key issues facing regional markets. John was asked for his perspective on market opportunities driving growth in the real estate sector. He shared thoughts on the transformative role of technology: "In real estate, data is crucial for insights into behavior, analytics, pricing, and customer segmentation. We prioritize adopting AI, especially in understanding how LLMs improve decision-making speed and provide a clear view of potential outcomes." 👉 Tech isn’t a panacea. But adopting advanced models like LLMs can help developers and builders better understand, and elevate, the entire homebuying journey for their most valuable customers. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eRePMagJ #Invest: #technology #PhiladelphiaBusiness #leadership #realestateindustry

This was, really, the only way to end a day of exploring innovation, technology, and the customer experience. We wrapped up programming at the Innovative 50 with a fireside chat featuring Greg Vogel, CEO of Land Advisors Organization, and Allan J. Klassen, CXO of Brookfield Residential. Inno50 was a day of inspiration, a beacon for doing things differently and improving CX through tech acceptance and adoption. Greg and Allan brought home the realities – and the rewards – of making that happen. Innovation sounds like fun, until you hit a wall of resistance. Too many people stop when things get hard. After all… ▶ It costs money. ▶ It challenges the way people think. ▶ It disrupts the way firms have done things for a long time. Greg and Allan embodied the stamina and commitment it takes to pursue new ideas. To drive investment in innovation when others are looking through a laser-focused financial lens. To go to the mat for change. 👉 Both have prevailed because they believed in their bones it would make a difference for their customers. Our final message of the day, hit home by two of the biggest trailblazers in our industry, was this: Be inspired and committed to innovation – and know that it will hurt. And that it will be worth it. #Inno50 #innovation #customerexperience #leadership #tech #realestateindustry

The man deserves a mic drop. Russ Kliman of FutureCrafted delivered the best AI talk any of us has ever seen, presenting at The Innovative 50 yesterday. He gave an in-depth, accessible overview of what AI is, what it can do, and how to put it to work – an incredibly practical look at employing a much-hyped technology, for real use cases in real businesses, today. Two key takeaways: ➢ If you want to leverage machine learning, data is critical to getting actionable results. Dedicate someone in your organization to keeping your data clean, organized, and accessible. ➢ You have to start somewhere. Identify 2-3 use cases where AI might improve your business. Then empower your team with the tools to experiment. This is really what The Innovative 50 was about – bringing together experts from within and outside the real estate industry to explore the intersection of data, technology, and human capital. Our industry may be full of tech laggards. But there are forward-thinking leaders looking to change that, and they’re hungry to learn more. Especially from a teacher like Russ ⚡ #Inno50 #innovation #AI #tech #technology

💡 More outstanding insights from The Innovative 50! We assembled a panel of experts on the customer journey, digital adoption, and the absolute importance of customer experience. None of whom works in the real estate industry. The moderator, Kenneth Perlman of John Burns Research and Consulting, is an industry veteran with a solid understanding of what’s missing in the homebuying experience – and a gift for drawing out insights from the folks who have answers. Our panel came from organizations with customer-first cultures, companies that can show our industry how loyalty is built and customer experience is done right. Many, many thanks to Adam Malamut, PhD of A&MPLIFY by A&M, Darren Read of Rapha, Lance Orso of Dallas Harley-Davidson, and Ron Thurston of OSSY. You were amazing. We were listening. A few takeaways: Ron: The front line of any business is the most important line in the business. Recognizing and supporting these vital team members is critical to your success. Adam: If you want to be a customer-centric business, you need a customer-centric operating model. Have someone dedicated to stewarding CX throughout the organization. Lance: The sale doesn’t end when you hand over the keys to a bike (or a house) – the ownership experience is what drives loyalty and lifelong customers. Never stop communicating with them. Darren: Ruthless authenticity. Period. How can you bring your brand’s purpose and mission to the forefront and make it as authentic as possible? Amen. #Inno50 #innovation #customerexperience #tech #realestateindustry

What an honor to have Sheryl Palmer keynote The Innovative 50! As longtime CEO of leading homebuilder Taylor Morrison, Sheryl can speak to how much has changed in the new home industry…and how much hasn’t. She had a stark warning for the room: when it comes to customer experience, builders are going backwards. Back decades, in fact, with a focus more on manufacturing than on people. As Sheryl asked, “Where is the customer in that?” Our industry is ripe for innovation, and a few firms are leading the way. Taylor Morrison uses technology better than most to understand their customers and keep them engaged at every step in the buying journey. But what really sets the company apart is, well, love. Taylor Morrison has heart. As Sheryl explained, they care deeply about the stories behind their customers – the needs and motivations that lie beneath the data and metrics. And, like she said, today’s smart, educated consumers can sniff out BS. So be the kind of company people can believe in. Make it part of the DNA of your organization. Use technology to learn about, and take care of, your customers like you really, truly give a damn. Buck the backwards trend. We’ll be right there with you, looking ahead. #Inno50 #innovation #customerexperience #tech #homebuilders #realestateindustry

Hello from a very special place in DFW! Getting ready to host our inaugural innovation summit at Circle T Ranch. Small group, big ideas. 💡 More to come tomorrow. For now, huge, huge thanks to Fred Balda and Aaron Pierce for supporting us from the inception. 🙏 Looking forward to a day of learning and collaboration with some of the best and brightest in the industry! #Inno50 #realestateindustry #innovation