Two things most people have opinions about are politics and real estate. As a real estate salesperson talking politics can be dangerous ground. If I endorse one candidate over another I can potentially alienate half or more of my potential clients. Likewise if I come out and endorse any particular proposition I can lose business, and I have.
In a previous election I advocated for a flawed rent control measure that lost. One person who was on my mailing list sent me the following email:
“Andy's on the wrong side of rent control.
Andy needs to remove me once and for all from his mailing list.”
We now have rent control in California, Marin County and San Rafael. These measures are not perfect, but at least there is some semblance of protection for renters, which I feel is important. I am fine with people being for and against various candidates and ballot measures. I think it’s okay and important to have differences of opinion. We can learn a lot from political discourses. Unfortunately in this instance I learned to try to keep my political opinions to myself.
Getting back to real estate, I keep of file folder in my email of some of the harshest emails I’ve received over the years, which is where I looked up the one above. Since I was in there I decided to share one of the cruelest emails I received from back in the day when I would deliver my newsletter by hand to people’s front doors and walkways:
"I need to tell you that I have become increasingly annoyed by the repeated littering of my front walk with your unwanted real estate flyers.
If you're a realtor worth your salt surely you can afford a damn postage stamp to mail your crap so at least it doesn't get stuck to my pavement with rain or dew or blow around on the street. At least if it came in the mailbox it would be easier to recycle along with the other junk.
You are littering the neighborhood you claim to support so diligently, and the loose papers in view of the street make it appear that no one is home. Do you want even a hint of that liability?
I assure you that when it comes time for my wife and me to sell our home we will be most inclined to go with a realtor with a professional marketing program, not one with a low-budget and amateurish approach like yours.
Please stop!
With not very warm or kind regards,"
I actually enjoyed delivering my newsletter by hand and I developed a pretty good reputation doing it: with most residents. Despite the brutal tone the gentleman made at least two good points: mailing is more professional than hand delivering. I also became concerned about leaving the newsletters in front of people’s homes (although I was not the only one) if they were away and unable to retrieve them. When I moved over to Coldwell Banker I began mailing my newsletters. The gentleman who wrote the email did sell his home with another Realtor.
What are my points in sharing this communication? (1) I can take what people dish out (2) I try to learn from everyone, even those who make their criticisms personal (3) I smile every time I read this email because despite this gentleman's opinion my newsletter and blogs have given potential clients an opportunity to get to know me and set me apart from my peers (4) I take my cues from the king https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm5HKlQ6nGM
Over the years I’ve grown a pretty thick skin and the email above actually inspired me to do better. However personal attacks can really send someone into a tailspin. The emailer above mainly intended to denigrate me. Like a quarterback who has just thrown an interception, or a defensive back who has been badly beaten on a route I let this kind of negatively roll off me but not everyone has the same tolerance for vitriol. So if you’ve got a point to make to someone else, political or otherwise, please try to deliver it with care and empathy.