Is Top Producer a good value?

I posted this in another spot and then decided to post it here as well.

I would like to comment on the cost of TP. I want to be clear that I am not addressing any faults it may have, as all of the CRMs have faults. I am solely addressing cost. Bear in mind that while I am a reseller for Top Producer, I am also a reseller for almost 30 other Real Estate specific CRMs. There is no “Best CRM”. There is only the best one for your individual needs.

A common characterization agents make is “I am paying $100 or $200 for Top Producer and it is too much.” Lets first be clear that no one pays more than $39.95/mo. for TP8i. If you are paying TP, the company, more than that, it is because you are paying for additional products in addition to the CRM, or are paying for multiple licenses. Phone synching, Outlook Connector, Web sites, IDX, Market Snapshot, and so on are additional products, for which you would have to pay a separate amount in any case. There are exceptions, but typically not when you compare apples to apples. To say for instance that ABC CRM does not charge for phone synching, when in fact it is done through Outlook, that is not the same function, and should not be considered as the phone synch being the same function and being free. Having a mobile app to provide access to a WAP enabled site, and that being included, is also not the same function. Apples to apples.

With regards to the price of Top Producer, it is often a topic of criticism, but I have to say that if you compare the value of TP to all the others, it is very much worth the bang for the buck – for a single agent. $40/mo. gets you unlimited phone support, free bulk e-mailing, more templated content and plans than any other CRM on the market, Social Media interaction from within the contact screen, Realtor.com interaction to display properties for that contact’s address on an interactive map, and the ability to invite the client to see a private status page online, to name a few.

What is also virtually never credited as an added value is the extensive number of vertical market products with which it has a relationship. One of the primary functions of a CRM is to enable the agent to be more efficient. If one CRM enables you to eliminate redundant data entry to multiple products, it eliminates a great deal of wasted time, adding significant value.

TP has a relationship with more products than any other CRM on the market. They include:

• Zip Forms
• SureClose
• 800service
• Arch Powerline
• Best Image
  Cevado Technologies
• DriveBuy Technologies
• E-Agent
• eAgentC IDX Solution Powered by Wolfnet
• IDXBlue.com
• Keller Williams Agent Website
• Keller Williams MC Website
• Myrsol
• Rainmaker E-Central
• Real Estate Labs
• Realtor.com
• TaggLine
• WebAgent Solutions
• WolfNet/MLSFinder IDX
• www.ihomefinder.com
• www.rephosting.com
• Proquest Technologies
• IDXBroker.com
• TourFactory
• Accessu2
• Consulnet-Success Websites
• Voicepad
• Listings-to-Leads
• RE/MAX LeadStreet Indiana

Partners to go live next week:

• Infinity Arts
• TextMyMLS
• ePropertySites, LLC

What many agents who criticize the cost fail to disclose is that they do not use much of what it offers. If you do not, then it is indeed not a good value for you, and another solution is needed. The value to which I refer is ony a value if you use it. I have many other CRMs that suit varying needs if you’re not going to make use of what it offers.

With regards to the cost for teams requiring multiple licenses, I have told TP on many occasions that I feel they need to scale the cost as more licenses are acquired for a team. It is not as good a value when you are paying for multiple licenses. That said, if a team consists of 4 or 6 or 8 people, that means you are making a very significant income, and the cost of the licenses becomes a cost of doing business that is difficult to match with other products based on its value, if you use it. I have other solutions that are more cost effective for teams, but they do not provide the same value.

Additionally, if you go outside the industry and look at generic CRMs, you will find that they are much more expensive, and most of the “biggies” like ACT!, Goldmine, SalesForce, Maximizer, etc. , do not even want to deal with individuals, as opposed to companies.

So all in all, TP may cost more than some, but if you use the tools it provides, my opinion is that it is a good value.