Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ukma!xanth!nic.MR.NET!shamash!nis!sialis!rjg From: rjg@sialis.mn.org (Robert J. Granvin) Newsgroups: comp.misc Subject: Re: telephone solicitors Message-ID: <1150@sialis.mn.org> Date: 28 Jan 89 16:44:50 GMT References: <2780@ficc.uu.net> <326@spies.UUCP> Reply-To: rjg@sialis.mn.org (Robert J. Granvin) Organization: Dr. Ho Laboratory and Day Care Center Lines: 123 >However, I rarely have the time nor the inclination to listen to a >(usually scripted) telephone sales pitch. At the first opportunity, >as politely as possible, I say, "I'm afraid I don't have time to listen >to a sales pitch right now. However, if you will mail me a brochure or >catalog of your products, I'll be happy to review it and call you back >when I do have the time." It's nice to see someone take a civil and polite resolution to the situation for a change. >So far, I have not a) had one of those phone calls last more than 15 >seconds longer, or b) had a single brochure, or even letter, sent to >me from one of those solicitors. > >If a salesperson is not sufficiently interested to follow up on the >opening I offer, why should I expect that salesperson to be offering >me either worthwhile products or worthwhile service? Unfortunately, here's basically the root of the problem... Nearly every company that does telephone soliciting does not, and does not want to maintain, an inhouse telemarketing force. This type of staff is generally expensive, and is better handled by professional marketing firms. You have labor costs (telemarketers may not be exceptionally highly paid, but you have a lot of them), space costs (they have to reside somewhere), and nearly all such systems require a computer based telemarketing package to make the system work efficiently. So, throw in a computer system, a slew of terminals, and everything else associated with that. The drawback here, of course, is that the telemarketer may or may not be familiar with the product. It depends on how well the marketing firm trains it's staff, and how well the contracting company supplies adequate information. In addition, most companies make a decision to either market their product by phone, or market their product by mail. They usually do not choose both. Therefore, brochures may not exist. (On the other hand, if they did, you'd probably still receive one (the mailing list would more than likely be identical), and would then be considered "junk mail"). The telemarketing staff also probably does not operate on commission, but on an hourly wage. Whether they make a sale or not may not be of concern to them. Unfortunately, some companies will offset a low pressure sales pitch with high volume calling. :-( There are many different types of telemarketing firms in existance too. The ones you remember are usually the bad ones. Some small "Mobile Carpet Cleaning Sheisters" employ more telemarketers than carpet cleaners, and they're instructed to be high-pressure. These types stick out in your mind for a long time (up to eternity) even if you only get one call like it. Other larger companies may employ an inhouse telemarketing staff, or hire an external one, but base their wage on commissions. They can be just as bad as the above. The worst and most offensive calls I have ever gotten were from USA Today. A newspaper (if you can call it that... People magazine in a daily form) doesn't need to verbally offend a possible customer when that persons is showing signs of not be currently interested. Of course, they also shouldn't be spending excesses of time on a long distance call to that person either. :-) Interestingly enough, USA Today never responded to my letter of complaint. Oh well. Anyways, a large majority of companies are much more responsible. If you get called by them, it's because your demographic information matches their requirements. This means that there is a fair chance that you may at least be mildly interested in the product. Most of these firms do not employ a high pressure sales tactic. They don't need to. Since they're not just hitting "gobs o' people" in an area, they're hitting various "reasonable people" in that area. So instead of using the saturation bombing approach, they work on a surgical strike method. What's _really_ unfortunate (or fortunate, depending on how you look at it), is that you will get very few calls from these types of firms. However, you'll always be innundated by the saturation folx. When you get 10 calls, and 8 of them are high pressure or offensive in some way, or you're just plainly not interested, it's apparent what your opinions will be of the whole service. Also, if everyone used a logical approach to selecting who to call, the volume of actual sales calls you receive may go down dramatically and the interest level may go up. Too bad a lot of firms don't do this. The last general type of firm is a very specific type of marketing firm. If someone is selling a new product, they will only call the identified purchasing representative of that firm and explain the product. Similarly, these types of firms also may be in the "fulfillment" business. If they call you it's usually because you have responded to a mailing or some other method and indicated an interest. In any case, these firms almost always are hired to also mail a sample of the product to any interested company or person. (These are the kind of telemarketing firms that is difficult to get angry with. After all, you told _them_ that you were interested). >I prefer to make my position firm at the beginning of the >conversation. If the solicitor will not accept my terms, then >both of us benefit, and neither of us wastes our time. With the majority of friendly, reasonable telemarketing firms, or at least the telemarketer, this is more than reasonable. They don't want to interrupt you at home and then convince you buy something that you don't want, but they do want to do their job. By making your position clear with most people, you not only don't waste your time, they don't end up wasting their time. Phone Solicitor bashing is a popular sport around here. It keeps coming back. But your best method for sending a signal to the people causing the calls to be made is to mail a letter explaining why you are offended to the company of the product being sold. However, as with everything else, don't lump the friendly courteous and responsible firms into your bashing. These are the ones that are actually trying to provide you with a useful product, not just line their pockets in green. -- Robert J. Granvin "A cowboy should know his horse, but it National Information Services seemed to the podners at the Triple Q rjg@sialis.mn.org Ranch that Vernon McChew had gotten TOO {amdahl,hpda}!bungia!sialis!rjg close."