Rightmove asks agents: What do you think of OnTheMarket?

| Rosalind Renshaw

Rightmove has sent out a long questionnaire to agents which essentially asks them what they think of challenger portal OnTheMarket.

By contrast, the questionnaire asks barely any questions that mention Zoopla, and appears to underline just how seriously Rightmove is taking OTM, six months after its launch.

For example, the questionnaire asks agents to say how likely they would be to recommend first Rightmove, and then OTM, and to say why in each case. But it does not ask that question about Zoopla.

In a series of 17 questions, it also asks agents to list the most and least important reasons for using a property portal – for example, whether the portal resolves queries in a timely way, rewards loyalty, understands agents’ needs, or makes agents feel as though they’re in control of the relationship.

It also asks agents to say whether important reasons for using a portal are because it is willing to negotiate on price, generates quality leads, and cares about its customers.

In the following 28 questions, it asks agents specifically to rate Rightmove and OTM on a range of specific points, including friendliness and approachability.

More questions follow, but only a handful ask agents to assess Zoopla alongside Rightmove and OTM.

Three statements ask agents to evaluate the statements: “My company couldn’t operate without this portal”; “A brand that is only in business for themselves” and “A brand that knows what it stands for”.

The questionnaire also asks a number of questions about Rightmove’s and OTM’s account managers.

Agents are introduced to the survey with Rightmove saying that it wants to “design our plans with you in mind”.

The survey is conducted by independent market research company Jigsaw Research, and offers ten prizes of £100 worth of Amazon vouchers.

A spokesperson for Rightmove said: “In order to make Rightmove work better for agents, we are asking our members how our product, services and customer relationships compare to the other options that they may have.

“Our aim is to improve Rightmove for agents. This wide ranging survey is being conducted by an independent third party.”

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36 Comments

  1. Paul House
    July 31, 2015 at 07:25

    Many have said that Zoopla was just starting to catch up with Rightmove before OTM entered the scene. Catch up how? Portals simply list properties, having a new “map” feature, listing sold prices or encouraging people to enter on to the Z100 isn’t anything innovative that can’t be copied overnight.

    Zoopla was catching up but that’s only by the amount of fees charged.

    It’s fairly obvious that Rightmove would rather have Zoopla as competition than OnTheMarket. OTM is and always has been the only credible option to knock RM off it’s perch.

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  2. Trevor Gillham
    July 31, 2015 at 07:31

    It always seems odd that a company that uses 3rd party data and charges them to supply that data to make them bigger just keeps growing. This company could be wiped off within hours if agents withdrew their stock, agents mutual should have been a mutual agreement between agents to do this.

     

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    1. Lance Trendall
      July 31, 2015 at 08:20

      It could still happen if rightmove continue to rip agents off. Their profit margins are already excessive. They could win friends by reducing prices but they will never do that until the plug had already been pulled on them. The public want lower agent’s fees, maybe they could get them if rightmove reduced their’s

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    2. Property Ear
      July 31, 2015 at 08:22

      Yes, and Coca Cola could be wiped off within hours if people stopped drinking coke!

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      1. Trevor Gillham
        July 31, 2015 at 08:29

        Yes, if they started charging £10 a can.

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    3. Trevor Gillham
      July 31, 2015 at 09:44

      2 Dislikes, I guess RM team have just logged on.

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  3. danny
    July 31, 2015 at 08:44

    Trevor, they charged well under market cap. It’s a ridiculous statement to say £10 a can , the analogy is spot on . Rightmove ,in my opinion , charge a fair price for their services . What we find then is a load of agents who aren’t willing to engage with them properly to drive value, same with Zoopla . Makes no business sense , I’ll pay you but I hate you and won’t use anything new you come up with … This is why innovators are winning in our space

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    1. Property Pundit
      July 31, 2015 at 09:05

      This is why innovators are winning in our space – like who?

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    2. Beano
      July 31, 2015 at 10:09

      Danny there is fair and there is the perception of fair. If you havent worked out the difference I would like to sell you a range of products and services please provide your contact details.

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      1. danny
        July 31, 2015 at 11:06

        Beano, everyone makes their own minds up. I came from the press days , I spend £800 ish per branch with Rightmove , £300 with Zoopla , have more control and I save the other £1100 I used to spend on papers …. It’s a disgrace , I should be paying the Portals nothing for it !!!

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  4. Gump
    July 31, 2015 at 09:06

    A leave date is all that is needed! The stock is ours when are you people going to realise this and actually do something about it!?

    Although not sure how we would survive on this forum without RM said, Z said and OTM wishes threads 🙂

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    1. harry hood
      August 2, 2015 at 08:34

      Why don’t we all leave Facebook too while we’re at it?

      Just imagine how each agent would do this? You’d have to tell every single one of your current customers (listing with you) that you will be taking them off Rightmove. Then every new customer you would tell that you won’t be listing on Rightmove. Then once you  have done this, you’d have to try and sell any properties you still have….presumably using your shop window.

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  5. GPL
    July 31, 2015 at 09:36

    Dear Blightmove…. I’ll re-post this for your survey…. however I note your Survey doesn’t ask about agents views on your latest gloating 75% Profit Margin! I can summarise for you …. blatant profiteering, monunmental arrogance and a disdainful regard for estate agents…. all nicely summed up by your posturing of being the UK Estate Agency Industry!…. when you are quite simply a provider of portal advertising!

    The UK Estate Agency Industry supported you and helped you grow into the Dictator that you now are….. one can only hope that we wake up and reverse our lamentable decision to support you and as a result become your lifeless puppets in the portal spotlight!
    JULY 30, 2015 AT 1:44 PM

    So, as I list another house which started life with an OnlinePropertyLister…. I chat with the client about reason she initially chose to market her £300k home with cheapncheerful.notanestateagent.com
    She saw company on Blightmove and thought it was just another estate agent!….. and now she knows they are not!….. and there is the rub! Hoopla and Blightmive gradually undermining our industry by accepting TomDicknHarryPropertyListers…. and by their acceptance the public think, like with like?…. I’ll go with PayNowDon’tSellLater!
    I wonder how much electric shock treatment do many agents need to understand they are playing willing accomplice to the slow death of our industry by the portals that portray themselves to be our business friends & facilitators!…. or is it just I’mallrightJack Syndrome.
    OnTheMarket.com seems to me to represent estate agents who have actually considered the future of our industry…. not wishing to protect it for protection sake…. simply to take steps to allow real estate agency to flourish away from the supermarketportals who simply have their own interests at heart! If real estate agency died tomorrow the portals would die or move on to  the next dripping roast!
    It’s sad to watch Blightmove effectively take over the promotion of UK Online Property Marketing and portray themselves as the UK PropertySales Industry…. willingly supported by estate agents who are oblivious or choose to ignore the future of our industry?
    At least those that have supported/joined OnTheMarket know they did not stand idly by gawping at the live car crash footage of our industry!
    Rightmove 75%? Profit Margin?!…… it’s a Monumental 2 Fingers to our Industry! It’s shameful that we have let them insert their portal finger so far up our industry!

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    1. Beano
      July 31, 2015 at 10:33

      Well said….. Would love to hear the arguments against this by the dislikers.

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      1. Property Pundit
        July 31, 2015 at 11:39

        Where are 1sttimebuyer, harree, jmeapps, EHenderson, etc, etc when you want them to post?

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    2. harry hood
      August 2, 2015 at 08:36

      What is your profit margin GPL?

      Presumably when you try to take 1% of the value of my most expensive asset then you are justified?

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  6. Ric
    July 31, 2015 at 09:42

    haha, I deleted that email as it came from a sky.com type email address, I assumed it was dodgy… bit like when I get an email from RBS@yahoo.con

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    1. Ric
      July 31, 2015 at 14:49

      oh come on, I am being serious, I thought it was a hoax – The email address worried me….. why you not like what I say?

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  7. wilko
    July 31, 2015 at 10:28

    Certainly is a long survey. Some very strange lines of questioning. In the last 30 or so it seemed as if they were asking the same qs over and over again. I would recommend people do fill it in as there is plenty of opportunity to let them know what you think about their pricing system, which we all agree is very confusing and totally lacks transparency.

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    1. Gump
      July 31, 2015 at 10:52

      It’s a monster survey! You get to No. 17…..phew, done……then Boom..Here’s another 28!

      Seems to me they are looking to fire their reps!

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      1. PeeBee
        July 31, 2015 at 11:38

        Sorry, Gump – are you saying they have reps??

        Ain’t seen hide nor hair for 3 years despite several promises of a drop-in…

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        1. Gump
          July 31, 2015 at 11:51

          That’s funny, I haven’t seen my rep for three years either!

          Last time I saw her she had to go away to discuss everything with someone and that was that. Hell of conversation they must be having

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        2. Trevor Gillham
          July 31, 2015 at 15:12

          Best way IMHO, they only visit to tell you the fees going up!

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          1. ammik
            July 31, 2015 at 18:28

            Yes had a two hour visit recently promoting RM – and their desire to fleece me further. We currently pay £900 per month, sent him off with this email after thinking over his unremarkable proposition:

            “Going to stay as we are for the time being. Cannot accept what would equate to a 35% – 50% increase, dependent on option chosen. My clients wouldn’t wear it. Neither will I.

             
            The 7% increase is inflation busting as it is. Shareholders will have to look elsewhere!”
            Funny, no response.

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  8. Trevor Mealham
    July 31, 2015 at 11:15

    The only survey that counts is what best serves agents and consumers be it RM, Z OTM, back of bus or A N Other.  It’s the consumer vote when searching and the prospective sellers thoughts when deciding how best equipped their agent is.

    There’s more to selling than portals alone. Portals are good at getting stock gone. But don’t do so well in bringing stock back to agents.

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    1. harry hood
      August 2, 2015 at 08:40

      yep –  the good old fashioned shop window seals the deal every time

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      1. PeeBee
        August 2, 2015 at 21:58

        Mine works nicely for me, thank you very much!

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  9. I want to believe
    August 1, 2015 at 12:22

    I wonder at what point will we as an industry leave Rightmove in sufficient numbers for them to actually take our industry seriously and price their services accordingly ?

    I’m guessing – when they post figures of a 95% profit margin and charge 3 grand a month – or am i being too optimistic here ?

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  10. GPL
    August 1, 2015 at 13:21

    The aim of the UK Estate Agency Industry…. if we accept that Online Portal Advertising forms a sizeable part of our marketing efforts….. should be to ensure that we are in control of our Portal Advertising, hence joining & building OnTheMarket.com

    We should want and support Portal Marketing that is clearly defined and focuses entirely on property and estate agents…… as it stands just now we have created a monster in Rightmove which seeks to control us for their own interests….. as demonstrated by the annual stock market announcements of how much profit they have made off the back of estate agents.

    By UK Estate Agents wholesale engagement with OnTheMarket we would rid ourselves of the annual freak show that is Rightmove’s Profit/Performance Results!….. our industry is providing performance fuel for a company that isn’t actually interested in our industry…. it’s only interested in the profit that we can supply for their company!

    How refreshing it would be when OnTheMarket.com reached their yearly anniversary…. our industry didn’t have to listen to the level of increased profits ala Rightmove!

    Personally, I and many others want a Portal that is property/agent focused and exclusively serves our industry for the mid-long term. We don’t seek a Portal for Profit or for some sort of Negative Control….. it surely has to be focused on our industry and reaching the public in a way that reflects the quality of our industry.

    Rightmove, Rodgermove, Shaftmove, Blightmove, Blahmove….. they are a Portal Loundspeaker for themselves!…… I didn’t commit to OnTheMarket.com to line my pockets, to make millionaires of those at the top, to serve/profit shareholders…. I did so because I wanted our industry to have a clearly defined focus with a voice in the Portal World that rang out clearly, effectively and evolved with our industry in the future.

    The heartbeat of industry changed the moment Rightmove saw it was their industry and they controlled it for their profit purposes!

    Every single UK Estate Agent should reflect on this…… when your client instructs you to sell their property or let their property…..You Serve Them!…. that’s what your client pays for, that’s what your client expects and that here to serve your client focus should be riveted in your Estate Agency DNA.

    Rightmove don’t serve you…. you pay them for a service…. however in reality Rightmove serve themselves!…..who is fooling who?!

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    1. PeeBee
      August 1, 2015 at 14:27

      “Personally, I and many others want a Portal that is property/agent focused and exclusively serves our industry…”

      You are so right, GPL – BUT what should be made absolutely and abundantly clear, is that the portal you want and describe is also best for THE PUBLIC we serve.

      Quicker this is hammered home and the public accept it, the quicker we can make OnTheMarket.com work EVEN BETTER for them!

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      1. Robert May
        August 1, 2015 at 16:42

        Go and sit on the naughty step you have not been paying attention.

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        1. PeeBee
          August 1, 2015 at 19:28

          EH?  What have I done…now?

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    2. harry hood
      August 2, 2015 at 08:46

      please stop and think carefully….it is about serving your customers not defending the industry and the status quo. Even PeeBee gets this. Until you stop crusading about keeping everything the same in your industry then you just won’t be able to move forward, reduce your stress and do better for yourself.

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      1. PeeBee
        August 2, 2015 at 10:47

        Mr Hood – PLEASE DON’T try to turn what I say round to suit your agenda.  You will fail miserably and I will make you look a far bigger fool than you have so far managed quite admirably on your own.

        I think you will find that ALL those posting here have their customers interests right at the very front of their minds.  Without them we are nothing – JUST LIKE the portals.

        WHY WOULD sensible, established and already successful Agents damage their reputations and their income streams on a whim or to simply save a few quid a month when in reality that saving could cost them thousands?  It simply doesn’t happen very often – and for it to happen en masse is beyond the bounds of sensibility and probability yet the Anti-AM Brigade still bang their tired old drum to the tune of their tired old agenda.

        You say that we are “crusading about keeping everything the same” – yet it is the SINGLE BIGGEST CHANGE in the industry you are complaining about – so in effect it is YOU that has the problem with the change.

        WE have adapted to change.  YOU are resisting it.  Get with the programme.

        Resistance is futile…

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        1. Robert May
          August 2, 2015 at 14:10

          He’s not  going to listen to you, Harry thinks you are a Toff

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  11. Robert May
    August 1, 2015 at 22:08

    A property website that allows the focus to be on the agent  (client) rather than itself is called a sortal.

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