As a Top Producing Agent

Today I got a direct mail advertisement from the local office of Sotheby’s International Realty. Normally I just throw my junk mail into the recycle bin, but the headline of this particular piece struck me as missing the mark. “As a Top Producing Agent” is what it said.

But that’s real estate speak. It’s meaningless to potential customers.

To be successful with your sales and marketing, you’ve got to focus on what’s important to buyers, not what’s important to you or your company.

People hire a real estate agent who will work hard for them, be honest and transparent, and get a deal done.

The term “Top Producer” implies that an agent is too busy to care about me at best. It also seems a bit sleazy, implying that the agents work to generate income for themselves by “producing”, not to create the best outcome for customers.

What I imagine "Top Producers" do 

As I was thinking about a great real estate agent, I assumed he or she would put in the time required to market my house to show its best. Maybe we'd stage it. Maybe we’d upgrade the landscaping. Maybe a coat of paint somewhere. I want the most money for a property and I want a real estate agent who will help me get it.

But I’m imagining a top producer just wants to sell the damned thing, move on, and “produce” again and again. It’s in their interest to put the house on the market for less than its value so it sells in the first weekend. They get their commission quickly and they are off producing someone else's house. That's how I imagine the word "producer".

It’s just marketing. But words matter. What do you want your potential customers to think?

I don’t want a “top producer”. I want a knowledgeable real estate agent.