Are we getting our money's worth?

Today and Fri. our office is undergoing training for Lead Router an automated lead generation and followup system being pitched by Coldwell Banker. There is no intial cost but the training is mandatory for participation in the program. Though free at the start, it looks like after a trial period, that a cost will be assessed in addition to referral fees. This got me thinking about all the fees we pay for the various "services" we receive and whether we're getting any value for our money.

As a Coldwell Banker affiliate, we pay 6% as agents and the Broker pays 2% above that. In addition, we can have an "enhanced" web page on Coldwell Banker.com for $99/yr. I'm sure that other franchises have the same or similar issues. We all get the "opportunity" to have an enhanced web page on REALTOR.com for well over a thousand dollars a year.

The cost of producing one of these enhanced web pages is in the initial programing. Once the format is established, there's virtually no incremental cost regardless of the number of participants. The sellers of these enhanced services try to convince us they are worth the price because of the potential benefits. I think they've taken a marketing lesson from the people who tell us that Bayer aspirin is different, even though it's chemical composition and strength is identical to drug store brands costing much less.

Whether it's our franchise fees or our NAR dues, we're not getting our money's worth. Our money funded the development of the basic web sites and the incremental costs are negligible. We shouldn't have to pay for them again.