How Do You Treat Telemarketers & Salespeople?

28 posted on July 28, 2008

POSTED IN: Authenticity, Makes You Think

Today’s tip from Cool People Care reminds us that it’s important to show respect to everyone – even those pesky telemarketers and salespeople that annoy us.

Nobody enjoys someone trying to sell you something over the phone or as you’re walking into a store but it’s important to remember that no matter how much it annoys you or interrupts your day, they’re just doing their job. We don’t have to like the interruption but we can say no with respect.

After a long day of hang-ups or getting cussed at a courteous, simple “No thank you, I’m not interested” is the next best thing to a yes. And when you’re walking past that person at the mall trying to sell you their product, a “No thank you, I’m not interested” with a smile goes a long way towards making a tough job a little easier.

How do you respond to annoying telemarketers and salespeople?

TWEET THIS

This entry was posted on Monday, July 28th, 2008 at 8:30 am and is filed under Authenticity, Makes You Think. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

15 Comments

Share yours!

Visit My Website

July 28, 2008

Permalink

1 Mandy said:

I’m a “no thank you” kinda girl. Except when we get them in our neighborhood. They are persistent because most all of Granger’s neighborhoods are “no soliciting”. They keep trying & get pretty frustrated by the time they get to my side of town.

Mandys last blog post..Hepatitis song
Visit My Website

July 28, 2008

Permalink

2 Adam said:

I feel the same way. After working retail since I was 16 I try to be nice when I say No. These people are just trying to support themselves.

By the way.. is that a pic of you when you get mad.. LOL

Adams last blog post..I’m Bored.
Visit My Website

July 28, 2008

Permalink

3 jud said:

I’m getting tele-marketers on my cell phone now! I’m usually respectful but I used to ask them if they would mind me calling them back during their dinner. Or… I would try to sell them something. I know it was bad but it was so much fun!
Visit My Website

July 28, 2008

Permalink

4 Brad Ruggles said:

I’ll admit it, I love a good prank as much as anyone. I’ve heard some pretty funny pranks pulled on telemarketers and I’ve even pulled a few myself. :-S
Visit My Website

July 28, 2008

Permalink

5 Chad Wright said:

Does making up random stories about who I am and what I do count as being nice?

Chad Wrights last blog post..Photo of the Day
Visit My Website

July 28, 2008

Permalink

6 livingwideawake said:

I try to be polite, say thank you, and I’m not interested, but in reality sometimes it’s just hard when all you want to do is tell them to quit calling and leave you alone.
Visit My Website

July 28, 2008

Permalink

7 spatulahandle said:

My husband hangs up on them. I ask them how they are doing and it usually surprises them, I let them get through their talking and then politely tell them I am not interested.

spatulahandles last blog post..Glad to be home
Visit My Website

July 28, 2008

Permalink

8 ryan guard said:

I worked at a call center in high school. My job was to call random people and ask them to do a 15-minute survey on “radio listening, newspaper reading, and shopping habits in your community”. I was hung up on probably a hundred times a day. So now when people call with surveys I do them. I’m kind of annoying about it though- I like to coach them through it!

(side note: I dialed so many numbers that I memorized the sound that each number makes. So now when I hear someone dial a phone I know what number they dialed. Creepy?)

ryan guards last blog post..camp highlites
Visit My Website

July 28, 2008

Permalink

9 patty said:

We’re on the do not call list, so we give them our schpeel of – reminding them of this, no thank you and make sure our number is off your list.
Visit My Website

July 28, 2008

Permalink

10 sTim said:

I personally make a distinction there – with salespeople, I walked into their store, I open myself up to being sold things. Just because I own a phone for necessary communication, I don’t think that gives anyone the right to call and pester me. Especially when I’ve explained to them that they’ve called before and I asked them not to. I suppose I could be nicer, but this one really irks me. That’s not why I have a phone, and it’s not their “right” just because it’s easy to string the possible digits together til you’ve called every number in your area (or in existence).
Visit My Website

July 28, 2008

Permalink

11 Shawn said:

Like this (totally safe):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hllDWSbuDsQ

Shawns last blog post..“This is how we roll in the bible belt.”
Visit My Website

July 28, 2008

Permalink

12 Kassie said:

I worked for a telemarketing agency one summer in college…and I couldn’t even last more than a month. I had people threaten to hunt me down and sue me and put me in jail because they were “federal lawyers” and they’d already complained to someone, among other not-so-nice comments. It was horrible.

ANYWAY, one tip for all of you is that I remember that I had to have “two firm no’s” to stop pursuing the call. Not sure if that’s the rule everywhere, but you could try it.

My normal response now is “No thank you, but thanks for calling.” There isn’t alot more they can say to that.
Visit My Website

July 28, 2008

Permalink

13 Nick said:

I have caller ID, therefore I do not answer telemarketers calls. However, the last one that got through was selling the local newspaper:

“Hi, I am from the AZ Republic, do you recieve our newspaper”

“Nope”

“Well, do you want to?”

“Nope”

“May I ask why sir?”

“Because I have the Internet.”

“Oh, ok. Have a nice day.”

Nicks last blog post..Craziest thing
Visit My Website

July 28, 2008

Permalink

14 Terrace Crawford said:

I respond the way you suggested… and its typically only when they get super aggressive that I get ticked!
Visit My Website

July 29, 2008

Permalink

15 Chris Justice said:

I know the telemarketers can be irritating, but I always think-glad I don’t have to do that for a living!!1 My reply is this-”I am really not interested, but thanks anyway and good luck to you today”