Real Estate Professionals or just simply real estate agents?

I was in my neighborhood of Queen Anne in Seattle having coffee the other day, and I noticed a business card of a fellow real estate agent. I was surprised by the title on her card as real estate professional. Does the real estate profession have such a bad name that that real estate agents have to use the word “Professional” to describe themselves?

Does any other profession use that word to descibe them selves. Let's see, Insurance agents calling themsleves, I am Insurance Professional. How about investment advisors, calling themselves, investment professionals? Don't laugh, I went through training by an old world conservative corporate type, and told all trainee's to think of themselves as professionals. Wow, I want to laugh now, thinking about that. The guy must be training real estate agents for at least 20 years. And, maybe, just maybe, he was saying so because real estate agents had low self esteem? Do you think, he was training real estate agents to be more professional, instead of being too casual? I am going to write on this track of being a real estate agent, and being professional or not. I am also going to write more regulary on Seattle real estate agents perspective of low self esteem of real estate agents. I also had decided that for our new business plans, that real estate agents need more help in marketing themselves without the hype. So that is what I am going to include too!
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless handheld.