Well said—I applaud your stance and appreciate your response. You’re right that SPs often hear clients describe themselves as “valuable members,” and you’re also right about the reasons why. However, they sometimes hear that same language reinforced by certain bookers (e.g., “big MERB client is up next—be your best” or “sorry he did that to you, but we can’t block him because he’s a prolific reviewer”). I think we can all agree that this puffing up of message board clients—tipping the power dynamic in their favor and using subtle forms of coercion, pressure, or manipulation to grant them special treatment or excuse misconduct—should not be happening on the agency side. And if it is, I hope active steps are being taken to put a stop to it. (This is a general comment to all agencies, not singling anyone out.)
As you note in a later post, the link between reviews and an SP’s success isn’t exactly one-to-one, as evidenced by unreviewed SPs who are still consistently fully booked. And so, affording undue privileges or granting impunity for misconduct to a message board client is not only a disservice to the SPs working for an agency—it may well be business-neutral at best and may even be a liability, as it risks higher turnover, increases STI spread risk (thinking of the repeat boundary-pushers here who are never blocked), and can damage future recruiting through reputational harm.
Thanks to all agency representatives and indies who have shared their perspectives on this matter. It’s encouraging to see broad agreement on practices that serve the best interests of the industry.