(Full disclosure: I work for Move, which owns Top Producer, so please put on your skepticism hat any time I talk about their products!)
About three months ago, I mentioned a soft-launch of a new product from the Top Producer team called Home Insight. Some of the comments were pretty tough on the product with Cheryl starting off the conversation saying that the product was just another “fancy front end for a lead-generator”. I can tell you from the many conversations I’ve had with the team at Top Producer that they took many of the comments on RCG seriously.
[photopress:Seattle_s_Rain_City_Real_Estate_Guide___Improving_Online_Home_Valuations____Mozilla_Firefox_11_15_2006_10_48_42_PM.jpg,thumb,alignright]The response is that they’ve retooled the product and announced a new element for agents called Top Marketer just in time for the NARdi Gras convention. While the product is still geared toward providing agents and consumers with the real-time analytical tools based on MLS data, the emphasis on lead generation has been stripped of the product. To give an example, the front door to home insight now only asks for the most basic information (address and home type). Although because some of the more detailed information (like pending sales) is required to be behind registration, users will still have to register if they want the full package of information available.
The new project also has a much bigger emphasis on educating the users with a lot more text on interpreting the data and integrating blog posts about local market conditions from agents who are using the Top Producer blogs.
Also, you might be interested in the recent interview with Matthew Moore I published on Move Home.
Whoa! Who’d have thought that the big guys would take one of my rants to heart!?! I’m off now to have a look/see. Thanks!
Dustin,
This might be an unfair question, but do you know if TP is planning on allowing smartphone users the ability to update their TP for palm over the wireless network?
Not liking the fact that I have two contact lists on my phone – one for the palm phone and one for TP.
I could see the “real time” analytics being a great tool for agents working with buyers and have the capability to pull the information up on our phones.
Todd,
I could be wrong in how it is implemented, but the way that I understand the product is that Top Producer 7i can directly integrate with a Palm (and other cell phones).
Just as interesting, The Enterprise (a company closely aligned with Top Producer) announced a product called First Responder, which is a broker-level tool for distributing leads that ties directly in with agent’s handheld devices. I know from watching the demo that these leads can be fed directly (and automatically) into a client’s Top Producer account.
Everyone around Move recognizes the importance that agents need to place on responding quickly to inquiries, so don’t be too surprised if these features continued to be enhanced in the future!
This will be a non-issue for most parts of the country, but here in L.A. we have multiple, overlapping MLSs. Could the product work off more than one MLS, or work off an MLS aggregator such as MLS Alliance http://sca.mlsalliance.com/ ?
Todd,
Our current Top Producer for Palm product does not support wireless sync. Customers need to cradle the device to synchronize the database on their Palm / Treo with their online Top Producer database. Having said that, you can receive lead notification in real time using our SellPhone product. This product sends you a text-message alert whenever you receive leads via your Top Producer account. This includes leads coming from your personal website and from national sites like Realtor.com.
At the NAR tradeshow last week, we demonstrated two new products which *do* support wireless synchronization: Top Producer for Blackberry and Top Producer for Windows Mobile. We are running a beta-trial program to gather customer feedback in advance of general commercial availability for these products.
hey Dustin,
I’ve given some feedback over on my blog. In a nutshell – neat product, horrible design. 🙂
Thanks Errol and Joel for giving you feedback!
I find the idea great, the functionality somewhat lacking. Perhaps a Top Producer 2.0 version would clean up the usability aspect and help streamline the length of time to get the final result.
Cheryl in NELA, CA.
It’s a great question. Top Producer products do allow users to set up multiple MLSs, but the automated distribution of the Market Snapshot is only from the “default” MLS in the current version. We recognize the need to support multi-MLS markets in an automated fashion and have that functionality on the road map. (and no… I can’t say when it will be released… but will say that it will be sooner than later 🙂 )
Top Producer Product Management
Joel Burslem has it right- Top Marketer Goes Over the Top – Top Producer needs hire someone who knows design and usability. I have been using it for four months and while that is only a short time, it’s long enough to know that TP is not spending enough time reinvesting themselves and their money into better design and functionality.
My brother is a TP certified trainer for Keller Williams – the short of it – he’s looking at Agent Office. If he jumps, he’ll take the entire office with him and the KW grapevine will be buzzing – WHY – read Joel over at the Future of Real Estate Marketing – your product seems to have been designed by people who don’t use it, don’t listen to the end-user, and seem indifferent to taking a good idea and making it into something awesome.
I just talked with a Top Producer rep and the Windows Mobile and Crackberry sync apps should be release in January.
John, I hope for your brother’s mental well being he doesn’t switch to Agent Office. If he does he will want to beat himself over the head with a 50 pound sledge hammer. Agent office SUCKS!
No comment on Top Marketer since i have not used it or helped set it up.
Loren
FoRET
Does anyone know if a major upgrade to Top Producer 7i is planned anytime soon? It seems like they should revamp and upgrade the software every few years and release a major new edition. I’d really like the ability to inlclude PDF files in my action plans personally!
Rob, a major upgrade of TP would be nice but they seem to be into these small additions periodically. I agree that adding attachments to emails in the library should be a no brainer. My subscription costs 516CDN per year and I would have also expected a little more for that kind of cash.
I am pretty happy with the Outlook Connector. If you’re using Outlook for email it’s a real nice addition but of course, it doesn’t address the concern you’ve brought forward for action plans.
Rob,
I passed along your request for PDF files to the Top Producer team, but even if I knew about new updates in the pipeline, I couldn’t say anything! 🙂
Seriously, i’ve used TP for many years, it’s a piece of sh#t! But, they have a monopoly on the mrkt;
Their latest v. TP8i is the worst to date, use it for a few days… makes you wish they never existed.