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| Thread ID: 46616 | 2004-06-30 04:52:00 | Off Topic - I really really .... really .... hate this | Biggles (121) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 248529 | 2004-06-30 04:52:00 | I just got a phone call from some guy who gave his name and asked if it rang any bells. No, I say, sorry. Now we get calls from people we don't know all the time. The next line usually is what compnay they work for and what product they'd like su to review. But not this time. "Never mind" he says, "a couple of my business associates gave me your name. We're starting a new enterprise and are looking for ambitious people such as yourself ....." At this point, the bells started ringing. While his name still didn't ring bells the pitch did. I got the same pitch, presumably from the same guy, several years back. The conversation went the same way as I recall. I asked him who gave him my name. He wouldn't tell me other than that they were “business associates”. Last time round he wouldn’t even say what the” business” was. This time he claimed to be launching a new energy drink. “Do you know me?” I asked. “No” he says. “So why do you think I’d be interested in an energy drink?” “Well, we are looking for ambitious people like yourself who want something better ….” “Have you just got a bunch of business cards there and are ringing up people at random?” (sounds offended) “No I’ve got eight business cards here…. Blah blah blah” The funny thing is, that just like last time this guys seemed surprised that I’d be pissed off at him. But I was. You get a call from someone you don’t know, who wants to join his “business” yet won’t tell you why he thinks you’d want to or would be suitable at all and won’t tell you who referred you to him. What’s to like about that? "this isn't the reaction I expected," he says, "so maybe we should just leave it at that..." "Who gave you my card?" I repeat, but no go. I'm apparently not allowed to know who thinks I'm an ambitious go-getter who wants more out of life and sees energy drinks as the way of the future ... I assume it was just another pyramid marketing thing but the personal nature of it just really gets my goat. It’s just plain creepy not to mention the paint-by-numbers psychology of “ambitious people like yourself” and “people like you who want something better”. Anyone else had a creepy call like this? |
Biggles (121) | ||
| 248530 | 2004-06-30 05:25:00 | Lucky man, I've not had the pleasure of one of those type of phonecalls Bruce, but at a guess,I reckon if a message along those lines turned up in my or your email,it would be deleted as spam. The only difference between spam and phone advertisers,is you get the pleasure of telling the caller to "go away"(in seamans terms),rather than just hitting delete. Please give him my number if he calls back. Hook |
Capt.Hook (5586) | ||
| 248531 | 2004-06-30 05:30:00 | Being the grumpy person i am i would had the handset back in its cradle after the first 5 words were out of his mouth.....oh,i would have swore while i was at it. I am yet to live down the serve i gave the Avon lady....... |
metla (154) | ||
| 248532 | 2004-06-30 05:33:00 | Damn... And I was so sure you would be interested, Bruce. Never mind, I still have a harbour bridge and opera house in Sydney for sale, if you would be keen on those? |
godfather (25) | ||
| 248533 | 2004-06-30 05:42:00 | Your pain is my pain Bruce! I get propositioned all the time on the phone, and it has become a challenge to see how quickly I can nail the sods and get them off the line. I find the best technique is to hit them right between the eyes with a question just like you did, then never let up on them until they bail out. If you disrupt their spiel they get very uncomfortable because it is a carefully scripted approach and usually quite inflexible. I answer every question with a question, right from the "how are you today sir" stage (I'm fine thanks, what are you selling?) and if they persist beyond the third or fourth question it is time to say goodbye a little more forcefully. Cheers Billy 8-{) 8-{) :D |
Billy T (70) | ||
| 248534 | 2004-06-30 05:55:00 | I know the feeling .. esp door sales...etc. Now I don't even bother to open my door when someone knocks .. hahaha I've seen a lot of sales just tried and tried coz they can hear me inside, just that I don't go and look who is at the door. Except one time when my flatmate accidently answered the door and there was this so called Art person asking for the house owner so I have to go and see this guy :( Anyway, he showed me all of his work and ask me which one i likel, I said 'None really as I'm not an art person..." he tried to sell his work so hard that I feel it's getting pushy ... so I asked him to take a look at my garden and said "Do I look like that kinda person who likes decorating my house? and Do you know how many DVDs I could buy for $199? which is much more entertaining than your painting. Sorry, I'm not interested." I now don't answer when someone is knocking on the door, I don't answer my mobile when the caller is not on my phone list, and when I answer the phone at home with a strange caller voice asking for me I'll just tell them he's not here, can I take a msg instead. |
SKT174 (1319) | ||
| 248535 | 2004-06-30 05:57:00 | > And I was so sure you would be interested, Bruce. :^O Feel like naming any names here Bruce? |
kiki (762) | ||
| 248536 | 2004-06-30 06:18:00 | Rather than getting rid - I have recently adopted a suggestion read somewhere. Just be nice and ask if they will hold on for moment while I attend to something....... and leave it. | Scouse (83) | ||
| 248537 | 2004-06-30 06:22:00 | I'm pretty quick to get the normal phone peddlers off the line, but they are usually the "Is that Mr Buckman. This is so and so from so-and-so, we're offering a ....." school of sales. This kind of thing steps over the line, in my opinion, in that the guys refuses to say really what he actually wants (is he offering me a job or does he wnat me to knock door to door selling soft drinks, or does he wnat my money - who knows cause he won't say) wants, who he really represents and most importantly why he has your name. Last time he wanted me to meet with him a discuss his business proposal without giving me any info at all other than his name. Wierd and creepy. | Biggles (121) | ||
| 248538 | 2004-06-30 06:24:00 | The only thing I really hate are the phone surveys . One I received a month or so ago, Guy with heavy indian accent, "Sir, can I ask you some questions for our survey? It will only take a few of minutes . " I said, "Phone surveys seldom last a few of minutes . How many questions have you got?" Survey guy, "Just 106 questions sir" . *click* disconnect tone yeah yeah yeah I do realise the 106 questions are from a flow chart depending on my answers . But the survey would last more than a few minutes - more likely 20 minutes at the minimum . |
nzStan (440) | ||
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