Payam Zamani, CEO of Reply!, is a veteran entrepreneur in online commerce. He was co-founder and CEO of AutoWeb.com (now part of Autobytel.com), one of the first online car-buying services.
Reply.com owns and operates two separate online real estate lead generation services: AgentConnect and RealtyNow. Through its latest program, the company qualifies all leads by phone to find out whether the phone number provided by a potential home buyer is legitimate. If the phone number is invalid, the company will discard it.
The Reply.com Web portal includes information for consumers on residential real estate, automotives, home improvement, moving services, insurance and financing. Reply!’s online trade brands include iMotors, RealtyNow, AgentConnect, iCastle and CarClub.
Reply.com, formerly Next Phase Media, has expanded from about 50 employees a year ago to 160 employees today, and recently opened an office in Scottsdale, Ariz. The company is headquartered in Walnut Creek, Calif.
Zamani will speak at Real Estate Connect in New York City, Jan. 9-11, 2005.
Panel or session at Connect: Lead Generation, Find Them: Where and How?
What are your current or childhood nicknames?
PZ, Mr. Z.
Which daily newspaper do you read and which section of the newspaper do you read first?
Financial Times.
What’s the most unusual thing you’ve ever packed in a suitcase?
Engagement ring.
What kind of music do you listen to?
Everything but country.
What style of home do you live in and when did you buy it?
Italian style, 2003.
Where did you spend your last vacation?
Turks and Caicos.
What professional accomplishment in your life are you most proud of?
Building Reply!, and successfully leading Autoweb.com from concept to IPO.
What personal accomplishment in your life are you most proud of?
Marrying a great woman and becoming expecting parents.
How many e-mail addresses do you have?
Three.
What worries keep you awake at night?
None.
What lesson did you learn in the last year?
Outsourcing to India does not offer much savings. In fact, in the end it could increase costs.
What is your favorite technology device or software application?
GPS.
What is your opinion of Inman News?
I like Brad.
What was the best gift you ever received from or gave to someone else?
About 30 years ago, a friend took a picture of me (at the time, I was three years old) with my parents. I have always cherished the moment and the day when that picture was taken. A few years ago my parents had this picture framed for my birthday. This probably has been the least expensive gift I have ever received but definitely the best!
What was your top New Year’s resolution and have you kept it so far?
Never have one.
Are you a morning person or a night owl?
Definitely not a morning person!
What is your worst vice or bad habit?
Driving too fast. Too many speeding tickets!
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