Reg Gupton offers 5 things that Top Producer 8i must change

If you have been following the saga with Top Producer's switch from 7i to 8i, you may remember that there are a number of us that are none too happy.

Here are 5 things that Top Producer 8i must change right away to (maybe) bring me to use it.

1. Let me customize my dashboard so I can see only those elements that I want to see when I log on. Other web enable programs let you drag and drop screen elements for placement. And for inclusion or not.

2. Stop the scrolling. I spend too much scrolling around the screen to get to what I want to do.

3. Eliminate the wasted screen real estate on the left and top. Admittedly being able to move to "full screen" is a help. And there are still improvements that can be made.

4. When entering a new contact and adding an action plan at the same time, let me pick the start date as can be done in 7i.

5. In Top Producer 7i, when enter alpha data in a field, the first character is automatically capitalized. I love it.

What would you like to see them change to enhance your experience? Let me know.

All my best,

Reg Gupton

Reg Gupton offers easy way to migrate from Top Producer 7i to 8i

Hi

Reg Gupton here.

As you know, I have been asking for your help with making Top Producer 8i a program that we all can use. This month you have a chance to learn how to make the transition from 7i to 8i. Not the technical steps but the how to's of the transition. As you know I have been struggling with this and I bet you have too. Every time I go to 8i I get frustrated and go back to 7i.

A few weeks I ran into a certified Top Producer 8i trainer, Hope Hughes. She is experienced in all things TP 8i. She will help us all seamlessly make the switch from 7i to 8i. I am planning on doing what she says on this TeleClass. And you should too.

She will spell out the secrets of easily moving from 7i to 8i with the minimum disruption in your business. Don't miss it. Mark your calendar today.

Attend this free 60-minute Teleclass, 'Seven steps to easily move from Top Producer 7i to 8i'. This Teleclass will be held on 'March 18th. It will start promptly at 10:00 am, mountain time.

Just send an email to TeleClass@GrowthSeminars.com with the subject,'March 18th TeleClass' and I'll send you the call in instructions right away.

On this Teleclass you will learn:

1. What to do the next 15 minutes when you log in.

2. How to fake it until you make it.

3. The most important call you can make

4. Just one more small step

5. To take the big leap of faith

6. To go back to campus

7. How to decide

And much more.

This free 60-minute Teleclass. 'Seven steps to easily working with Top Producer 8'. will be held on 'March 18th'. Just send an email to TeleClass@GrowthSeminars.com with the subject, 'March 18th TeleClass' and I'll send you the call in instructions right away.

Join me on this TeleClass.

Reg Gupton announces Top Producer 8i delay

Hi

Reg Gupton here

I rec'd this message from TP the other day. Looks like the switch over from 7i to 8i has been delayed. This is great news to me!! I hope for you too.

Now, keep sending them your concerns with 8i so when the switch over takes place we can all use it more efficiently and effectively.

Remember send your suggestions to support@topproducer.com. You might cc me to keep me in the loop on what you are suggesting.

Thanks for your continued support.

Moving from Top Producer 7i to Top Producer 8i

We want you to know that Top Producer 7i will be available for the foreseeable future. Based on the continual enhancements and addition of new features to Top Producer 8i, we may ask everyone to migrate from Top Producer 7i to use Top Producer 8i exclusively sometime in 2009. When this happens, you will be given at least 3 months notice.

To your continued success,

Reg Gupton

Reg Gupton says: Help make Top Producer 8i the product it needs to be for your business!

Hi Reg Gupton here,

Help make Top Producer 8i the product it needs to be for your business!

I've heard frustration from many of my coaching clients about Top Producer 8i. The recurring themes are:

• Find-ability - Where do I find how to do what I'm used to in 7i? Or did they just eliminate that function?
• More complicated - It takes more clicks and/or keystrokes and/or scrolling to accomplish almost everything in 8i than in 7i.

One of my clients has begun systematically emailing support@topproducer.com with specific feedback as he encounters a bothersome issue. Although it takes a little time, he feels it pales in comparison with putting up with the dysfunction long term, or making a complete transition of his operation to some other solution. I agree.

Here's an example of one of his emails to Support:

RE: The Calendar
Too much other stuff around it so the actual calendar view is too small on my laptop and I can't see enough of my day without scrolling. Even the full screen view only displays one additional hour.
In 7i the mini-calendar shows the current date in red numbers, and the date you are working on highlighted in a different color. Only the current date is indicated in 8i, giving you no visual reference to the date you are working on.
The only way to see a future week in week view is to scroll to it one week at a time a real pain to view several months ahead. I tried selecting the week view, and then a future date, and it changes to the day view of that date so then I select week view to see that week, but it reverts to the week view for the current week.
Too many clicks and keystrokes required to create an activity way too much time and effort
Have to click in Description field to start typing (should default to having the cursor there)
Scroll box for time selection is awkward
One hour default intervals are too broad. We need 15 minute intervals.
Requires multiple clicks and manual typing to change to start and end times not on the hour
Requires the colon to distinguish between hour:minute
Requires fully entering am or pm
Should allow entry of 1015a and recognize it as 10:15 am, for example
Too much scrolling required with the Add and Cancel buttons at the bottom of this page.

I know that his email above is very detailed. I tend to write shorter emails more often. Suits my personality.

Consider starting an email to support@topproducer.com at the moment you run into something that bugs you. Be as specific as you can, and propose how you wish it worked. Add to it each time you encounter a problem, and hit Send when you are done for the day.

Share this idea with your colleagues today by sending this email to all the other agents in your database. We need to create some noise.

Together, our constructive feedback dramatically increases the odds of Top Producer fixing what's troublesome. And there is a lot that can be improved.

But, what if it's too little, too late? Some of you are asking, "What are my options?" What do other top producers use instead of Top Producer? Please share your knowledge of alternatives that you or your colleagues use effectively instead.

• Maybe another single product (online or not)?
• Maybe an integrated suite (like MS Office tweaked for Realtors)?
• Maybe a combination of applications that work well together as needed (contact management, action plans, execution of mailings snail and e , listing and sales management).

I promise to share what I learn!

To your continued success,

Reg Gupton

Reg Gupton announces an alliance for Top Producer and Instanet Solutions

Hi Reg Gupton here.

Follow this link to learn about new way to use Top Producer 8i.

Top Producer and Instanet Solutions Announce Integration

To your continued success,

Reg Gupton

Reg Gupton offers a new Top Producer 7i Training Resource

Hi there,

While on hold with Top Producer tech support the hold message that I heard let me know that they have a new training resource called Top Producer Campus:

Their write up follows. Use it and let me know that you think.

Reg Gupton
gupton@growthseminars.com


"Welcome To Top Producer Campus

We’re excited to introduce our online community and support center for Top Producer 7i customers. Whether you need step-by-step instructions or a conversation with an expert - you’ve come to the right place. Top Producer Campus is your personal learning assistant. If you’re a new customer, check out our Online Training classes and Getting Started section.

For more established customers, check out our Hot Topics or guide your own learning on our Products page and discussion Forums. As we grow, we want to be sure we’re meeting all your product needs. Send us your feedback.

Reg Gupton offers a way to for REALTORS to grow their business easily

Folks,

I spoke to a REALTOR friend today about an email that he sent to me on direct response marketing in the commercial arena. Send me an email about that if you would like more information.

He described a tactic that he used for working with residential folks on his "A" list. See below.

IMHO, this is a very, very powerful idea for a select group of folks in your database.

To your continued success,

Reg Gupton
gupton@growthseminars.com

Reg,

Here's what I do for CMA lunches. We have lunch, talk and save real estate for the end. At the conclusion of lunch I give them an updated CMA on their home. They take it with them to the office always. People around them see it and ask what they are looking at . As they tell them that their realtor gives them this once a year the most common comment they get is" gee, my realtor hasn't even checked on us or we never hear from our realtor. We always get business from this.

We try to do it twice a week but it probably is only twice a month. My target for this is what I call my "A" team of clients. Those that love us and have done several transactions with us

.

Best to you

Bruce Dunning
Pinnacle Properties Group
10390 W Bradford Rd, #100
Littleton, CO 80127

303-904-2450 (Mobile)
303-948-5845 (Fax)
bdunn10425@aol.com

Reg Gupton offers a way to use Top Producer 7i to secure leads

Follow the link below to learn how to secure leads combining Top Producer 7i and its web site feature. I found the article below. It sounds interesting.

Any of you have similar (or not) experience with the Top Producer web sites? I am curious.

Success Story | Top Producer News: "Success Story Within 6 hours prospects were responding because Top Producer Websites and Market Snapshot drew their attention to me as the local market expert.

My brother creates websites as a hobby and I recently approached him to talk about launching an agent website of my own. I decided to put off the expense when I heard that a web designer would charge about $10,000 to set me up with a professional site!

As a new Top Producer 7i user, I was attending the free Quickstart training class where I found out about Top Producer Websites and discovered that I could get everything I needed to start up my own site for $34.95 per month. And it was even cheaper when I bundled it up with my 7i and the Market Snapshot."

To your continued success,

Reg Gupton

Reg Gupton suggests an easy way to secure training for Top Producer 7i

Almost every REALTOR coaching calls has some question about the robust features in their contact manager Top Producer.

Block out a few minutes every day whether during your work day or in the evening. You will be glad you did.

The more you know about your database program, the easier your day will be.

Click here for Top Producer training

To your continued success,

Reg Gupton
gupton@growthseminars.com

An easy way to grow your database

Looking for an easy way to grow your database? And you should use every way possible to grow it as it translates directly to money for you.

If you are in real estate, put the other party in your database, like Top Producer 7i. If you represent the buyer add the seller. If you represent the seller add the buyer.

I did this for years and only had one individual (not the buyer/seller) call me. It was the agent on the other side asking me to remove their party which I gladly did.

Most agents do not stay in touch with their party after the deal is done. Just ask your friends. Their agent if they did not use you mostly likely never hear from their agent again.

To growing your database.

Reg Gupton
www.growthseminars.com

Reg Gupton posts a Top Producer 7i mass email tip

As a strong advocate of building relationships using databases and a long-term user of Top Producer I have discovered a problem that you need to be aware of.

When you send mass email using Top Producer 7i many of them are blocked by AOL and spamcop.net. It is not your computer nor email address that is blocked. It is Top Producer's server. Top Producer tech support contacts the companies in question explaining how people use the system. After a day or so Top Producer's server is opened to send more email and be successfully passed thru AOL and spamcop.

I have gotten into the habit of contacting Top Pproducer tech support before I send a large mailing. You might do the same.

If all of us work together, we might have the company put more attention on this critical matter so we can all us Top Producer to its fullest.

Reg Gupton

Why won't they follow up

The day before Thanksgiving I rec'd notice that my 93 year old mother had had a minor stroke. She is doing fine and not needs to be out of her home. We will be moving her into an assisted living facility in the next week or two. There were no lasting physical effects.

In planning to deal with her house in Nashville I had a question on how much her house is worth. I used one of the web sites purporting to help me. In order to get the free service, I was asked to complete a pretty robust input form which included my contact info and of course, information on her house.

A few days later I rec'd an email from a local Nashville real estate agent (who I am sure paid for the lead) The information rec'd was pretty useful given that he had not been in the house. It provided me with a range of values for homes like hers in her neighborhood. For now, the information was helpful. A range was all that was needed.

It has been about a month. No more contact from the agent even though he has my contact information.

Here is the point! If you are going to buy leads from any source, no matter what industry you are in, have a full and robust system/process for staying in touch. If you don't have such a system/process you might as well send me the money, no more use than you are getting out of this lead generation system that you have invested in. I will use it more profitably.

Create a system in your contact manager to remind you to send cards, letters, emails and/or call. These systems I call campaigns. Your contact manager must have the capability to create and handle marketing campaigns easily. If it does not, get a new contact manager.

Call me if you would like a free 1/2 hour coaching session on how to select one or read my other blog posts on working with databases.

One study I recently read reported that the time between initial contact and purchase was extending mightily. Sometimes as long a 18 months. The leads you get will not come to fruition for quite some time. And it is your responsibility to stay in touch with them, not their responsibility to remember you. Top of mind awareness is king.

Stay in touch after the prospect touches you. I will may you in a grand style.

To your continued success,

Reg Gupton

Reg Gupton reports another problem with Top Producer 7i

Recently I discovered and reported on a problem with Top Producer and its ability to print "detailed closing reports." TP does not allow you to change the orientation of the report from portrait to landscape. See my other post.

After I faxed the report to my client, I deleted the closing guessing that all the "to-dos" would disappear from my "today's business" as was the case with Top Producer 6i, which I had used for too long.

Guess what? It does not delete items from your calendar after the closing is deleted.

I chatted with tech support on this too. They said that there would be a call from another group in the company to discuss.

Let's raise the heat on them to fix these minor and yet important problems. You can communicate with them at programsuggestions@topproducer.com.

Users will love you. Me too.

To your continued success.

Reg Gupton

Reg Gupton reports a problem with Top Producer 7i

I have discovered a problem with Top Producer 7i recently. As you know I no longer sell real estate and have an active coaching practice. I am still using Top Producer 7i as my database/contact manager. I have been a user of this powerful, useful program since it was a DOS program. I used to teach a previous version too. Top Producer calls me a power user.

The other day a REALTOR coaching client asked me to share my closing action plan with her. I was pleased to help her.

I created a closing with her as the seller and myself as the buyer. In order to get the details of the plan to her, I wanted to print a report and then fax it to her. Because some of the action descriptions are long, I attempted to print the "detailed closing report" in landscape mode so there would be more room for the descriptions to be visible to her.

I learned after a difficult call with TOP Producer tech support that it is not possible to do what I want as the program creates a PDF file which can not be modified.

If you are as upset as I am, how about we all send a request to their wish list which is located at programsuggestions@topproducer.com asking for this to be changed? There in power numbers.

Let's all work together to make the program better.

Reg Gupton