Ways to make sure I absolutely won't buy whatever crap you're selling...
I haven't gotten one of these in a while, and my reaction was somewhere between amusement and annoyance...
I normally don't even answer the phone at work if Caller ID shows that it's not an internal call, or from an external number that I recognize. But I've been getting quite a few "out of area" calls in the last week or so, from callers that haven't left messages, so I think I picked up just sort of to see who it was that was being so persistent...
The voice on the other end of the phone said, "Hi! I'm calling to follow up with you about the information you requested on our screen cleaning products!"
You can probably guess, of course, that I hadn't requested any information from anyone about screen cleaning products. Lying to me about why you're calling, or about a previous interaction we had (or didn't have...), is a spectacularly good way to make sure that I don't want to do business with you.
And actually, the secondary way to make sure I don't want to do business with you, is to call me on the phone. Sorry, I just don't do phone. If you want to get my attention, e-mail me. If you don't have my e-mail address ... well, you're not trying hard enough, it's not hard to find a valid e-mail address for me.
Anyway, the conversation continued something like:
Me: "I didn't request any information about any screen cleaning products, but what the heck, I'll just go with it. What do you have?"
Salesdroid:: "Well, maybe someone requested the information on your behalf."
OK, so here's a clue - I've just told you that I've caught you in an untruth, but I'm going to give you a pass. I was feeling generous. Just accept that, and move on. You're trying to give yourself plausible deniability for the fact that you're cold-calling me, and now you're starting to piss me off (more than you had initially...).
Salesdroid asks me if I'm more interested in CRT screen cleaning products, or LCD screen cleaning products. I say LCD screen cleaners - because it's true.
Salesdroid: "OK, great! We have a great LCD screen cleaner, it comes as individual cleaning wipes in little foil packets! Now, I just need to verify your shipping address, so I can get this shipped out to you..."
Me: "Now hang on a second - exactly what are we shipping out to me?"
Salesdroid: "Oh - nothing! Nothing! I just need to verify your address, that's all..."
Now I'm really annoyed - since obviously, what you're trying to do is send me a shipment of your product, which of course you plan to invoice me for... I'm now pissed off enough that I say something that I know for sure will end the conversation (since I'm not even going to bother with the "I'd like to speak to your manager" thing, since I assume the salesdroid's manager endorses these tactics completely)...
Me: "Just to make sure you understand, I'm not authorized to make any purchases."
Which is sort of a half-truth - I can buy things, but usually only from preapproved vendors. I know we have vendors we already work with that sell things like screen cleaners, so if I did happen to want to buy something like that, I'd have to buy it from an approved vendor...
Salesdroid: "Well ... fine ... I'll just send you out some information anyway. Bye."
And the phone hangs up...
I really should learn to just stop making exceptions to my rules - I don't answer the phone unless I know who you are, or have a good idea that you have legitimate business talking to me....
I normally don't even answer the phone at work if Caller ID shows that it's not an internal call, or from an external number that I recognize. But I've been getting quite a few "out of area" calls in the last week or so, from callers that haven't left messages, so I think I picked up just sort of to see who it was that was being so persistent...
The voice on the other end of the phone said, "Hi! I'm calling to follow up with you about the information you requested on our screen cleaning products!"
You can probably guess, of course, that I hadn't requested any information from anyone about screen cleaning products. Lying to me about why you're calling, or about a previous interaction we had (or didn't have...), is a spectacularly good way to make sure that I don't want to do business with you.
And actually, the secondary way to make sure I don't want to do business with you, is to call me on the phone. Sorry, I just don't do phone. If you want to get my attention, e-mail me. If you don't have my e-mail address ... well, you're not trying hard enough, it's not hard to find a valid e-mail address for me.
Anyway, the conversation continued something like:
Me: "I didn't request any information about any screen cleaning products, but what the heck, I'll just go with it. What do you have?"
Salesdroid:: "Well, maybe someone requested the information on your behalf."
OK, so here's a clue - I've just told you that I've caught you in an untruth, but I'm going to give you a pass. I was feeling generous. Just accept that, and move on. You're trying to give yourself plausible deniability for the fact that you're cold-calling me, and now you're starting to piss me off (more than you had initially...).
Salesdroid asks me if I'm more interested in CRT screen cleaning products, or LCD screen cleaning products. I say LCD screen cleaners - because it's true.
Salesdroid: "OK, great! We have a great LCD screen cleaner, it comes as individual cleaning wipes in little foil packets! Now, I just need to verify your shipping address, so I can get this shipped out to you..."
Me: "Now hang on a second - exactly what are we shipping out to me?"
Salesdroid: "Oh - nothing! Nothing! I just need to verify your address, that's all..."
Now I'm really annoyed - since obviously, what you're trying to do is send me a shipment of your product, which of course you plan to invoice me for... I'm now pissed off enough that I say something that I know for sure will end the conversation (since I'm not even going to bother with the "I'd like to speak to your manager" thing, since I assume the salesdroid's manager endorses these tactics completely)...
Me: "Just to make sure you understand, I'm not authorized to make any purchases."
Which is sort of a half-truth - I can buy things, but usually only from preapproved vendors. I know we have vendors we already work with that sell things like screen cleaners, so if I did happen to want to buy something like that, I'd have to buy it from an approved vendor...
Salesdroid: "Well ... fine ... I'll just send you out some information anyway. Bye."
And the phone hangs up...
I really should learn to just stop making exceptions to my rules - I don't answer the phone unless I know who you are, or have a good idea that you have legitimate business talking to me....