Best in Redding? Really?
Uncategorized
January 26th, 2009
Record Searchlight
Anyone else find that the Record Searchlight’s “Best in Redding” insert on Sunday a little self serving?
Looking over the winners and runners up it’s obvious that some are there because they rallied their employees to submit their work place. Nothing independent or unbiased about it. Not exactly a clean poll …. Pollster guru Harris can be heard rolling in his grave.
The Searchlight then used the results to sell ad space back to the “winners”.
Our customers, through an independent survey company, rate us every day. We have no control over the results…. nada, zippo, no way, forgetaboutit …no control.
They have consistently rated their experience with us as satisfied to very satisfied ..98% of the time …
It’s because of our roles of being Trusted Advisors, Skilled Negotiators; and Expert Facilitators …professional service focused solely on our clients…
We couldn’t bribe them with an ad or their names in the paper …can’t do it …and wouldn’t want to.
They’re legends in their own minds. Great post Ross…very true.
Thanks Brad
We have long known how the Searchlight’s “Best of Redding” businesses are selected…as you say, not exactly an objective poll!
This is shameful, shame on you! Sounds like someone is a little jealous. I am very suprised that you would take this route to advertise yourself and your company. Not only does it make you look bad, you are not representing GMAC in a positive light.
In this economy and in this real estate market, all realtors, from every company, should support each other with positivity, and not try to insinuate cheating or wrong doing. In doing so, you are giving more amunition to the bad publicity that realtors have been getting lately.
Courtney …I’ve got to admit ..your comments caught me a tad off guard. Mainly because my intent wasn’t to criticize another real estate company ..in fact I can’t even remember which companies were ranked ..do you?
I was simply showing the difference between a completely self serving ad program vs. a true non-biased customer survey process … My apologies if you saw it otherwise.
I would also take exception to your comment about bad publicity that Realtors are “getting lately”. I think you may be incorrectly lumping Realtors into the negativity about the housing, credit, auto, foreclosure, economic news. Blaming Realtors for the market conditions is kind of like blaming gas station owners for the price of gas …. we all work to help people cope with the market ..we can’t control it …
You and I both know who the winner and runner ups were, it blatantly obvious by the comment that Brad made and then you thanking him afterward.
Who are legends in their own minds?????
“difference between a completely self serving ad program vs. a true non-biased customer survey process …”
or the Record Searchlight???
now that doesn’t make any sense, does it?
Makes sense to me ….that’s why I didn’t name any specific companies … hopefully your company was one of the best ones voted for …whatever industry you are in … if so I commend you and hope it helps your business in these tough times …
I would hope that the Record Searchlight’s “best of” would not generate ill-will & jealousy among us. Whether or not you think the poll is accurate or somehow biased by the RS, just move forward, do your best, and fugetaboutit.
Not an issue or ill will intended towards anyone …just a comment ..we all are doing the best we can …. thanks
Just curious Ross, who did you vote for as best Real Estate Company in Redding?
There you go again,Negativity about participation in the community.Guess you just do not get it Ross.If your compnay was # 1 you would not have started this BS.Real Estate people are positive people,REMEMBER………….
I didn’t participate in this at all …. mainly because I don’t see any validity in it … it would be interesting to see what their stats are as far as number of votes they received ..don’t know that they publish that ….
Ross, face it, you can’t argue fact: Olive Garden is the best Italian place in town to eat and Cool Hand Luke’s and Cattleman’s are our best dinner spots! Need I say more?
Ross
Have you ever heard of the saying “if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all”? It’s to bad that you are so concerned about whose number one, if you want to be there then get busy to achieve that position and stop whinning, it’s like the dog laying on the nail, bothers him enough to complain but not enough to do anything about it
Ross I really thought more of you than to waste your time and ours with such negativity. Oviously you are not the professional I thought you were, very disappointing.
No whining involved. Again, merely commenting/questioning the process and validity. It is well known that ballot stuffing has gone on in the past. Perhaps this year was an exception….. I have heard that the Record Searchlight may be running a piece to describe their process …. which is cool …There’s been a lot more people with questions about it on Redding.com … check it out …
Jan …I didn’t waste your time ..you chose to respond … and again no negativity intended …just observation ….thanks for following my blog … I don’t consider sticking one’s head in the sand as being professional.
It’s interesting to see the hackles rise when in reality the question should be discussed objectively and without defensive attacks and insults to the author.
It’s only a blog for gosh sake people. The whole purpose is to have discourse that raises the bar for our local area and the industry as a whole. The opportunity is to learn from one another. Each and every person should be interested in how the process works and how valid it is.
I don’t think I find fault with Ross and the question, but the attacks that have no objective or factual basis. If you know how the process works, then discuss that and enlighten us all.
Get a grip folks, you might learn something and we might all do better here in Redding when we all embrace transparancy and the clarity of the question.
Blogging is about transparancy. Why would it hurt to look at and understand how the survey is conducted and if it is done fairly. I would not be afraid of that….would you?
Just my two cents worth!
Couldn’t agree more with you Jeanean ..thanks
The results of this survey must be questioned. Do we really want to send a message to visitors that Olive Garden, In-and-Out, Cattleman’s and Subway are the best Redding has to offer? Do employees of a particular business get to vote for themselves? How do they insure readers don’t vote more than once? I agree with some of the top picks but when I see the results, I, like Ross, question the methodology. Is this a truly objective survey or can the results be skewed by a particular business in the running? These are the questions that need to be answered by the naysayers. The comment thread on redding.com raised some of these same issues.
I have to agree with you, Ross. And maybe even expand upon the criticism of the process (without even knowing who were the winners and other participants).
Just how many folks have experience with multiple real estate agencies? For me to compare burger places makes sense, because I’ve tried a bunch. With regard to real estate, I can only say I was very pleased with my agent, but can’t really say she was the best around.
If the searchlight did surveys and asked customers for satisfaction ratings, that would inform the community much better.
Thanks Jim ….my point exactly ..I appreciate the clarity you provide