Hear it Direct conducted an interview with a panel of homebuyers and found that not only do they not know the difference between a REALTOR® and a real estate agent, they haven’t a clue as to the meaning of CRS, ABS and ePro. While assuming that this means that certifications and designations have no value is quite a leap, this information may be a bit disheartening to those agents who have business cards with a string of letters behind their name.
However, if the certifications actually help you to be more successful in your business, the money, time and effort to complete a certification course can really pay off. Do you have the Internet Marketing Specialist Designation (IMSD)? Did the training you took to obtain the designation live up to its promises by teaching you how to effectively generate Internet leads?
If you obtained the Certified Short Sale Agent (CSSA) designation do you feel it was worth your time, money and effort?
This is the place to talk about your designations, how effective they are in helping you grow your business and, at the same time, help your ActiveRain colleagues decide whether or not to go for a designation.
If you’ve been toying with the idea of becoming certified, this is the perfect spot for you to curl up with your laptop and a cup of coffee and let your friends at ActiveRain walk you through the process.
![Graduate, Realtors Institute (GRI)](http://activerain-store.s3.amazonaws.com/products/343/small/graduate_realtors_institute_gri.jpg?1373914313)
![CRS ~ Certified Residential Specialist](https://activerain.com/images/ar_logo.jpeg)
![Accredited Buyer's Representative (ABR)](http://activerain-store.s3.amazonaws.com/products/345/small/accredited_buyers_representative_abr.jpg?1384783944)
![IMSD - Internet Marketing Specialist Designation](http://activerain-store.s3.amazonaws.com/products/2/small/imsd_-_internet_marketing_specialist_designation.jpg?1350403627)
![Green Designation](http://activerain-store.s3.amazonaws.com/products/344/small/green_designation.jpg?1373915474)
![Seniors Real Estate Institute](http://activerain-store.s3.amazonaws.com/products/341/small/seniors_real_estate_institute.jpg?1400584108)
![The Career Compass - Real Estate Success Training](https://activerain.com/images/ar_logo.jpeg)
![REO Specialist Designation](http://activerain-store.s3.amazonaws.com/products/303/small/reo_specialist_designation.jpg?1370465168)
![www.RealEstateCoach.com](http://activerain-store.s3.amazonaws.com/products/397/small/www.realestatecoach.com.jpg?1385131042)