Technology/Software

Joined 05/06/2008

Jeff Tomlin

EVP, Business Development

VendAsta Technologies Inc.

Hi there, I’m Jeff Tomlin, Executive Vice President of Business Development for VendAsta Technologies Inc. I manage strategic partner development, industry development, marketing and strategic planning at VendAsta. Prior to VendAsta, I was the Vice President of Strategy and Business Development for Point2 Technologies Inc. I helped shape Point2 Agent from its inception and helped build the Point2 NLS into an industry leading real estate marketing solution. I joined Point2 in 2002 and served until 2007. I held a lot of roles there but some of the work I was proud of included spearheading Point2 Technologies' strategic partner relationships with companies like including Google, Yahoo, the New York Times, CanWest Media and IAC's Lending Tree. I have more than 10 years experience in online marketing and software development and 8 years in real estate property management, development and acquisitions. I hold a B.A. in Economics and an Advanced Certificate in Economics from the University of Saskatchewan. Right now I’m pumped to build cool new stuff at VendAsta and can’t wait to get it out the door!

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My Comments

  • Mega Broker, I'm not
    By Jeff TomlinMay 6, 2008 - 3:07pm

    Mega Broker, I'm not convinced that Trulia ever promised search engine benefit. I know they promised free traffic. They provide link juice from Trulia profiles, but I've never seen or heard of a claim that they will provide SE benefit from posting listings. Trulia did start by scraping but they quickly changed their ways by working with brokers. They don't scrape anymore. If you turn the trust issue on its head, one could argue that a client may not trust you if you refused to provide their listing free exposure. One way we help generate the maximum selling price is to reach the largest audience possible, no? I know you are not contractually obligated to, but it's a matter of principle. As far as control, Trulia provides you much more control than Realtor.com. In the old days, your MLS would send your listings to R.com. You have complete control with Trulia to send or not send listings. It's hard to argue with free traffic. I wouldn't turn it down. Remember, having your listings on Trulia does NOT increase their search positioning. They are already there. Why not cash in on the free traffic? I don't get it.

  • Mega Broker, Not sure why I
    By Jeff TomlinMay 6, 2008 - 8:41am

    Mega Broker, Not sure why I find myself leaping to Trulia's defense here but everyone comes from a certain perspective. To your conclusions: 1. Trulia promises free traffic, not link juice for listings. They do however provide link juice from other areas of their site, if that's what you are looking for... 2. I think the formitable competitor ship sailed way back when Realtor.com posted listings online. Trulia is just one of many sites that you'll be competing against. Is it better for you or your clients to pull listings back from Trulia? I'd suggest you co-op the mega sites rather than try and compete. There's a win-win out there for you. Jeff

  • I don't find the redirects
    By Jeff TomlinMay 6, 2008 - 12:04am

    I don't find the redirects that offensive. Realtor.com has been treating listing partners this way for years. It's certainly not the main reason for Trulia's search strength. I expanded a bit here: http://jtomlin.blogspot.com/2008/05/trulia-critics-right-or-wrong.html

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