So here comes the call, at 9:27 am. Blocked Caller ID. I don’t normally take line-blocked calls, because they’re almost always spam. But I was waiting for an important piece of information, so I took the call anyway.
An irate Realtor, of course, angry about this morning’s Arizona Republic column. I should have been expecting it. Anonymous phone calls from Realtors and brokers — pissy but pusillanimous — are a regular Friday treat around here.
And here is where I respect doubly the people who send email to gripe at me: They put their names behind their words, and they have to devise an actual argument to justify an email.
So I’ve got the call, like it or don’t, and the cranky Realtor on the other end says, “I’m a Realtor and I want you to know that I don’t agree with your columns saying that we get paid too much.”
And this is an instant when I am thinking too fast to stand in awe of how fast the human mind can think:
line-blocked call — hiding identity — no name offered — calling strictly to gripe — to penalize me for inciting her ire — wasting my time with no argument to make — nothing I say can possibly make any difference — moreover a phone call is no venue for intellectual debate — I need my phone back — I don’t get paid for this — I don’t have time for it now in any case
All that was about one-third-of-a-second.
Just like that, I said, “That’s your perfect right. Thanks for calling. Buh-bye.”
If you want to stand up for something you believe in, standing behind it by putting your own true name out in the open, then I’ll give you my time. I just might learn something, and that’s a treasure I’ll make an effort to earn. If you’re calling me to commit the telephonic equivalent of midnight vandalism — get lost. You tell me everything I need to know about you by concealing your identity…
Technorati Tags: real estate, real estate marketing
Jeff Brown says:
I’m pissed with you Greg.
I don’t agree with you either, but calling anomymously is just a fowl-manure thing to do. Of course she doesn’t have a coherent argument, she’s upset about doing her deal a month and wondering how to make ends meet if her pay does down. 🙂
I’m finally going to address this issue along with a broker’s value in general in two different posts very soon. You’ve inspired me once again.
September 29, 2006 — 11:25 am
Greg Swann says:
> I don’t agree with you either
The funny part is, I agree with you completely. If anything, you deliver value in excess of your compensation.
> I’m finally going to address this issue along with a broker’s value in general in two different posts very soon. You’ve inspired me once again.
Excellent! The more we talk about this, the better for everyone.
September 29, 2006 — 11:32 am
Jeff Brown says:
>The funny part is, I agree with you completely. If anything, you deliver value in excess of your compensation.
I’m quitting work today as I won’t be able to top that. 🙂
September 29, 2006 — 11:52 am
Anonymous says:
That’s the biggest load of bullshit I’ve ever read.
September 29, 2006 — 12:31 pm
Greg Swann says:
> That’s the biggest load of bullshit I’ve ever read.
Just wait. The real estate market didn’t collapse again in September, and nothing brings out the angy anonymites like moderately good news.
September 29, 2006 — 1:23 pm
Michael Price says:
I certainly agree with you regarding standing behind your comments. That’s why I refuse to poke the badger behind real estate 2.x or realestate 2.o.1 or whatever he/she is calling the anonymous blog these days.
It’s probably someone’s alter ego. Who knows? Who really cares? Even if I agree with some of the stuff in the blog, I’m not going to give it any more attention than it will get in this post. Inflammatory comments and inappropriate language are easy to use to get someone’s attention. It’s the blogging equivalent of a schoolyard bully. Most of the bullies I’ve ever encountered were actually more like a sissy with low intellect and self esteem issues. Back them in a corner and they will usually cry like a baby. At least they are getting the attention those desperately need.
So many people linked to and gave attention to the “Pimp” post about Trulia, that it made me consider why bloggers don’t take a little more time to think before they post. After all, whomever the tool behind that blog is actually called my clients and people I respect “Whores”. Is it any wonder journalists pooh pooh bloggers sometimes. Here’s a good example, Apple sent a cease and desist letter to a software company about their domain name and product that they felt encroached their intellectual property rights. The name of the company is Podcast Ready. Immediately every blogger from here to Timbuktu started vilifying Apple because they thought Apple, Inc. wanted to trademark the word Podcast. If they bothered to read the C & D’s they would have seen that wasn’t their intention at all. But even well respected blogs of tech publications like Wired stoked the fire.
Here’s how I see it. If you don’t have the ability to state a point and get it across without being sophomoric, overly dramatic or foul about it, don’t bother. If you don’t have the huevos to stand behind your words, you’re just another sissy looking for some kind of self-absorbed attention. It’s too bad, the person behind that blog could probably do pretty well. I still think it’s another active blogger’s alter ego. Only time will tell who’s behind the curtain.
September 29, 2006 — 5:11 pm