Actually, I Said, "You must have brown eyes."

Yesterday, I received a phone call asking if I would be interested in speaking at a conference.

"Maybe," was my reply.

"Great! We want to tie into the anti guru thing you've got going there because [removed] isn't your typical guru. I'm sure once you meet them you will agree they are the real deal and ..."

"Do you know how many times I've heard that?" I interrupted.

"Heard what?" they asked.

"That so-and-so is the real deal and unlike the gurus I detest," was my reply.

"No, really. [removed] has made more money for others than he has ever earned himself. He does this to pay forward. His fully automatic system makes it easy for anyone to get into real estate with no risk, no hassles and and unlimited income stream for the rest of their lives. He ..."

"You must have brown eyes," I said.

"What? My eyes are greenish. Why did you say that? Wait, are you saying I am full of #@$%?"

"Actually, I said, 'You must have brown eyes'," was my reply, "but, I wouldn't disagree with the inference you drew from my comment."

"By the way," I continued. "If this system of theirs is as good as you say, why do they need to spend time, effort and money to market it?"

"Huh? They want others to enjoy the riches they have received from this system and that is why they are sharing it with the world. This is a life changing opportunity for anyone smart enough to ..."

"Do they charge for someone to learn this magic system?" I asked.

"Well, do you work for free? Do you host your show without the expectation of compensation? Do you do everything you do for free?" was their weak reply.

"No, but I am not claiming my motives to be altruistic. What's more, I don't purport to have some kind of magic system like you describe. I provide information through a variety of channels targeted to serious investors. I ..."

"Then you understand why they couldn't afford to just give something this powerful away, right?" they interrupted me this time.

"Oh, I understand why they charge what they charge. I completely understand the marketing model. My problem is with the bogus claims. My problem is with targeting people who don't have a clue about what they are getting into."

The conversation kind of went downhill from there.

You know, for 25 years I've seen gurus come and go and it is always the same. They all claim to have the magic secret if you just pay them enough and work your way through the continual upsell process.

Astonishingly, about an hour after the call, I received an email from them. They still wanted me to speak, but would need to "approve the text in advance".

Yep, I'm pretty sure their eyes really are brown.