Do We Really Need The Agent Alphabet Soup?
The answer is maybe. If the designation or certification is a well-taught course that will add to your knowledge base, then the certification or designation will increase your stock as an agent+ (i.e. those agents that excel in professionalism and being a resource for their clients).
The value, of course, is not having a litany of letters, the Agent Alphabet Soup, after your name in your email signature lol. The value is in the enhanced understanding of a particular real estate process that becomes a building block for an even deeper understanding of an additional subject matter. In the academic business world, this is coined absorptive capacity where learning one skill helps you learn another skill more easily. That's very powerful! This means in obtaining a designation or certification, we have to assess if this is a skill set that is of value to the homebuyers, home sellers or real estate investors that we serve either now or in the future. The answer may be, No, not really and if so that means this particular course can be skipped. However, if the course can help you better serve your current clients (or the clients you envision working with in the future), then why not take the course?As business owners, we are conscious of wisely using our resources and rightfully so! The letters of the Agent Alphabet Soup are costly and meaningless if they only conjure up pats on the back from other agents but do not lead us to better serving the home buyers, home sellers and real estate investors that have put their trust in our skills. Make the Agent Alphabet Soup work for you and your clients by identifying the areas in which you either need improvement or just would like to strengthen your knowledge base. Happy selling!
