“A lot of people love your house,” an unknown real estate agent said when I answered the phone.
“I know. I’m one of them,” I replied. “That’s why I’m not selling it.”
“You might change your mind when you hear this offer,” he continued. “It will only take a quick minute.”
I would have been more interested in having him define a quick minute: Is it still 60 seconds, but you cram in more words by talking fast?
Just as “no problem” has replaced “thank you,” a “quick minute” is rapidly replacing “a few moments of your time,” which, while we all know is not exact, at least doesn’t leave us watching the clock to see if someone went over the promised time slot.
Have you ever timed someone who requested a quick minute of your time? I couldn’t resist trying.
As soon as I took a breath, the caller began speaking rapidly while I absorbed myself in watching the second hand of whatever timepiece I was using. When the minute was up and the caller was still speaking, as was true in all three of my case studies, I said a silent, “Gotcha.” My mind was so focused on the time that I had no memory of what any of them said.
Why is the minute losing its appeal? Could we not savor a minute instead of trying to rush the life out of it? Does anyone really want a product or service that can be defined in a minute? Why not throw in a few expressive adjectives and stretch the talk to 90 seconds?
“I just want a quick minute to tell you how solar panels will change your life,” the telemarketer said, talking quickly as if to make his point before I hung up the phone.
I ended the call with a friendly, “Thanks, not interested.” This took a scant six seconds, according to my kitchen clock with fruit on it that used to hang in my mother’s kitchen.
There is a reason this column is called Senior Moments. Moments turn into minutes that flow into the time ahead of our lives. While readers comment they enjoy that I say more in fewer words, I promise that I will never ask you to take a quick minute to read what I write.
Email [email protected]. Follow her on Patriciabunin.com
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Celebrating my birthday in the most official way possible A Mother’s Day gift of happy memories delivered by my baby brother Discovering a mother-daughter bond via a late-night email To the very special reader who takes the newspaper from my driveway Senior Moments: I made my choice of bed, and now I get to lie in itHence then, the article about a quick minute for an advertising pitch don t hold your breath was published today ( ) and is available on Los Angeles Daily News ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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