Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Dealing with junk phone calls

Unsolicited phone calls are a scummy practice.  They're interrupting you, taking up your time, and using your equipment to harangue you.

The business pays coolie wages to unskilled people to work in their boiler rooms.  (Many actors and screenwriters cite these jobs as their real-world employment experience, which is one reason they so eagerly portray roles in naïvely anti-business films.)

This business exists solely because of cheap long-distance srvice.  It used to be that a business at least had to pay for a WATS line.  Now rates are so cheap, they can harass you from across the continent.


There are just a few things you need to keep in mind when you get a junk phone call:

1)  If you buy something or respond positively, they win.

2)  If you just hang up, they win.

3)  If you keep them on the line, tying up their robo-callers or solicitors and phone time, you win.

Almost nobody understands these last two points.

When you get a call, just set the phone down.  Or if it's a live caller, say "Can you hold on for a minute?"  

When (eventually) they disconnect, you'll hear that irritating beep-beep-beep "If you want to make a call" from the phone company.  Then hang up.


One of my former business partners had a nice technique he used on boiler-room  brokers or investment outfits.  (This was before the do-not-call legislation.)  He'd let them prattle on for five minutes, making little positive noises, until they went in for the close.

Then he'd say, "Gee, this really sounds interesting, but I just declared personal bankruptcy."


If you think up any other good tactics, send them to me and I'll post them.  Let's share the revenge!






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