Not In The Top 10% As An Agent? - Quit In Shame

Before you stop reading my blog and articles, I'm not saying this. I get this impression though from something written by Matthew Ferrara over at MatthewFerrara.com. Here's a quote from the first paragraph of his article:

"Everyone knows about the 90/10 rule: 90% of the business is done by about 10% of REALTORS. Translated to a consumer experience, this means that most buyers and sellers have about a 1-in-10 chance of getting the "best performing" agent to sell their home or represent them in a purchase."

My problem with this, being one who isn't in that "top 10%" based on dollar volume in commissions in my area, is that the inference is clear: I'm inferior and the customer will suffer because of it. He goes on to say:

"Even a generous assessment of the business - quartiled for the top 25% of agents who generate more than $200,000 in commissions annually - leave the underperforming-bottom 75% of the business to muck up the works."

I didn't make that much last year, or the year before. I don't keep up with scoring, so I don't know if I'm even in the top 25% by income. It's time wasted, as it doesn't help me to serve my customers better. But, I'm far from "mucking up the works." I split my time between writing, consulting and real estate, and I have no target real estate income, nor do I believe, even a little, that the income indicates expertise. It could indicate expertise at selling oneself, but that's not going to guarantee quality for the customer, only quantity.

The article does go on to make the very correct point that too many real estate practitioners are leaving overpriced inventory on the market for too long, exacerbating the problems in the marketplace. However, I don't agree that it's this "lower status, non-top-producer agent" that's the culprit. In fact, in my market, some of the very highest producers, surely in the top 10%, have some of the most overpriced inventory on the market. The sellers gravitate to the big names in the area, thinking that their price will be met because they're working with the "best of the local Realtors with the most marketing."

My self-esteem is intact, and don't let not being in the top 10% discourage you either. Shoot for the highest quality in customer service, and let the score-keeping stay with those who believe that it has ultimate value. Times are changing, and you just may find fewer and fewer real estate professionals using their income as a marketing tool. The consumer doesn't care.