My Carrie Bradshaw inspired MLS relationship wish

Are you a member, subscriber or customer of your MLS?

"Some people are settling down, some people are settling, and some people refuse to settle for anything less than butterflies." Carrie Bradshaw.

During a livestream last week I struggled for a moment in describing my relationship with my MLS. I couldn’t help but wonder, was I an MLSPIN member or subscriber? I wasn’t sure, but I did have a sense that neither word properly described our relationship, especially for a product that is a near monopoly.

In a changing technological and regulatory landscape could a single broker hope for more?

Then by absolute chance I stumbled upon a blog post from WAV Group Consulting: “Are you treating your MLS subscribers as the Customers they are?”

WAV Group suggests, changing the way MLSs think of their paying customers is: “Just one of the subtle, but important changes MLSs need to make if they want to position themselves as the technology service companies they really are.”

Membership implies exclusivity and some sense of cooperative ownership, which infers I’ll have some type of democratic opportunity to voice my opinion about the future of the organization. I’m not aware of my MLS formally asking my opinion, there isn’t an annual semi-democratic meeting of everyone that pays into the MLSPIN. There are stockholders, I have no idea who they are, but the Directors are posted on the MLSPIN.com website.

I’m clearly not a member, like I would be, if I were a member of a golf club with a codified voting power, even if predominately symbolic.

Am I a subscriber? Well, I guess that word is sufficient, but also indicates a certain level transactional distance, with no voice in the relationship. It’s a simple choice, give us your money and we’ll give you a product.

“Its just, er, MLS, nothing more”

But I want more out of this relationship. Do I need butterflies, like Carrie? Well, let’s not gooooo that far. Yet, every quarter when I pay my dues, I see myself in the reflection of Samantha Jones walking home alone from the Meatpacking District early on a Sunday morning.

“Customer”, hmmmmmm, that’s a thought. Customer implies that if I don’t like a product or service I can take my business elsewhere. A near monopoly certainly wouldn’t want people getting that idea would they!!

Customer implies an intrinsic value to the company, after all, aren’t companies established to ”serve” customers?

And here’s a word of warning for all MLSs, the technology landscape is changing, nationwide or regional MLSs aren’t that far away, your current “subscribers” may soon have more choice in the matter than you’ve become accustomed to.

WAV Group: “Let’s also think about the mindset of calling your subscribers a customer versus a member. With customers you have to EARN their loyalty and trust. You have to assume they have a choice whether to be your customer or not. Since brokerages representing nearly 600,000 agents cannot require NAR membership any longer as one of the terms of the proposed settlements, MLSs are going to have to think about how to earn their customers and provide an open subscription available for all licensees. “