Most Trusted Professions Poll

This month, July 2010, Readers Digest has once again released its annual findings of the most trusted professions voted by Australians. The Top 40  results are very similar to previous polls and probably as expected. Leading the way of the most trusted professions are Ambulance Officers, Firefighters, Nurses and Pilots. No real surprises there I guess although Doctors at Number 5 may be under pressure in the next poll if the events of this week are any indication.

At the other end of the list the names once again remain fairly familiar. At 40 Telemarketers came in last in the most trusted profession followed at 39 by Car Salespeople and Politicians in at 38. Ouch, that’s got to hurt being a telemarketer or car salesperson and being voted behind Politicians. At 37 comes Sex Workers just edging out……you guessed it, Real Estate Agents at number 36.

Even Journalists came in number 35 and consumers believe Tow Truck Drivers at 31 are more trustworthy. Lawyers were at 30 and how are Weather Forecasters so trustworthy to be voted in at 24. My Goodness if that isn’t a clip over the back of the ear. Since the great dry spell in recent years past where the forecast was simply Fine and Dry, relying on a weather forecast is like relying on your teenager to take the rubbish out or clean their room. It just isn’t going to happen. (My apologies to any teenagers with a clean room and empty bin who may be reading this.)

I don’t find it as difficult to accept that we are positioned so lowly as a Trusted Profession as I do that we have made no inroads into improving our credibility within the market. Why are we not climbing our way up the ladder in such polls? Why do we accept ourselves as untrustworthy? After all, I know so many honest, caring, hard working and trustworthy Real Estate Agents.

In the May edition of the REAS newsletter I asked the question “Are we really performiing for our clients”. Maybe this poll provides us some clues on that matter.

So why do consumers not trust us. Maybe Stacey Holt from real estate excellence can assist us with this answer. This week Stacey reported on her facebook page she has a client who has provided her with 40 letters from just one of their vendors targeted by local salespeople sign jumping that agents listing. The seller from all reports is disgusted.

I’ll leave my thoughts on lazy, unskilled salespeople sign jumping for another day however it is just one example of how we continue to diminish our standing within our communities.

It is my belief Real Estate Agent licenses are too easy to achieve. Running an Agency has very little to do with your sales skills. I would like to see Principals be required to undertake  Business and Marketing courses or diploma’s as a minimum, further to the current requirements, before receiving a licence allowing them to operate a Real Estate Agency. This I believe will provide us with better skilled Principals more capable of making astute decisions about the Professionalism of their businesses and improve marketing skills to generate enquiry without having to resort to sign jumping tactics which are most often a poor method from a profitability viewpoint to generate sales and income.

But that’s just me…..

To view the article from Readers Digest click here.