Sales people/cold calls

[mixmastermo]

I feel like it takes special kind of psycho to do that kind of work. I'm in a position at my company where I hold the purse strings on many things, such as the suppliers we use, transportation, and any software platforms we implement. Naturally I get inquiries from people wanting to sell all of those things so I often end up ignoring a lot of that stuff.

In the event that I do end up having a conversation with one of these people, either because I pick up the phone or they show up at the office unannounced, they try to get their hooks in and do not stop following up. Some of these guys border on harassment and use tactics like guilt tripping, saying stuff like "you told me to follow up in a week" (which usually isn't true).

I don't know what these guys are thinking. I literally hold all of the leverage. Maybe they think that if they harass enough the dam will break and I will give them a shot? Sometimes as I pass through a mall people will ask about my cell phone plan, I will tell them my phone is paid for by my company and they'll say something like "get another one"!

I could never do that kind of work.

 

[Plutoburn]

During the summer between high school and uni, I wanted to save up the money to buy a gaming computer but I didn't have any savings so I worked full time for a month in a call centre, they are always hiring and the only pre-requisite is that you can speak intelligible English. I don't really need any tactics, I basically just follow a script and the computer dials the number automatically. It wasn't pleasant work, but the experience really helped me down the road to get use to talking to any strangers.

 

[biscuitsbrah]

If you can do sales you can do anything. So hard

 

[mixmastermo]

During the summer between high school and uni, I wanted to save up the money to buy a gaming computer but I didn't have any savings so I worked full time for a month in a call centre, they are always hiring and the only pre-requisite is that you can speak intelligible English. I don't really need any tactics, I basically just follow a script and the computer dials the number automatically. It wasn't pleasant work, but the experience really helped me down the road to get use to talking to any strangers.

I really hope they didn't teach you to harass people

 

[Takes_Two_To_Tango]

Someone has to do these shitty jobs.

 

[SSgt Dickweed]

I feel like it takes special kind of psycho to do that kind of work. I'm in a position at my company where I hold the purse strings on many things, such as the suppliers we use, transportation, and any software platforms we implement. Naturally I get inquiries from people wanting to sell all of those things so I often end up ignoring a lot of that stuff.

In the event that I do end up having a conversation with one of these people, either because I pick up the phone or they show up at the office unannounced, they try to get their hooks in and do not stop following up. Some of these guys border on harassment and use tactics like guilt tripping, saying stuff like "you told me to follow up in a week" (which usually isn't true).

I don't know what these guys are thinking. I literally hold all of the leverage. Maybe they think that if they harass enough the dam will break and I will give them a shot? Sometimes as I pass through a mall people will ask about my cell phone plan, I will tell them my phone is paid for by my company and they'll say something like "get another one"!

I could never do that kind of work.

A lot of Filipinos have this kind of work, they're not psycho's. Not sure if everyone does the the guilt-tripping, if so then they must be trained to do it. It's a decent paying job here in the Philippines even if they have to work a graveyard shift. It's because it's either that or working in a sweat shop, retail or construction.

 

[Van Daz]

I feel like it takes special kind of psycho to do that kind of work. I'm in a position at my company where I hold the purse strings on many things, such as the suppliers we use, transportation, and any software platforms we implement. Naturally I get inquiries from people wanting to sell all of those things so I often end up ignoring a lot of that stuff.

In the event that I do end up having a conversation with one of these people, either because I pick up the phone or they show up at the office unannounced, they try to get their hooks in and do not stop following up. Some of these guys border on harassment and use tactics like guilt tripping, saying stuff like "you told me to follow up in a week" (which usually isn't true).

I don't know what these guys are thinking. I literally hold all of the leverage. Maybe they think that if they harass enough the dam will break and I will give them a shot? Sometimes as I pass through a mall people will ask about my cell phone plan, I will tell them my phone is paid for by my company and they'll say something like "get another one"!

I could never do that kind of work.

Ok, Judge Mental.

I worked for a Telco in a small town & they pulled out after about 9 years. A company took us all on & saved jobs, but it was all outbound contracted phone call work. It's not easy, you get managers on your back for sales, it's repetitive & get people abuse you.

I never done the wrong thing to sell to people & put people on better plans when they were on shit plans. Was always respectful. I did the right thing, but that lead to average sales. I saw people get rewarded when I knew they were doing the wrong thing, but I still was honest & didn't follow down that path, so can look myself in the mirror at least.

So many people can't hack it. Saw some people start & that day just leave.

Glad that you are or were in a good position, but please respect people that do it rough.

If you aren't interested in someone approaching you on the phone or in person, just say "no thankyou. not interested. wish you all the best". Being nice is not hard to do & people respect that honesty.

Also, call centre work in poor countries is classed as a white collar job.

 

[Slobodan]

@lsa is a salesman.

 

[Takes_Two_To_Tango]

@lsa is a salesman.

Really and you are?

 

[Slobodan]

Really and you are?

Not a salesman?

 

[I Am Legion]

I never worked in call centers but for most of my adult life I have been in sales. I am good with people, and I have strong communication skills. I also have a thick skin, but at the same time have empathy. For the last 25 years I have had a territory that I am in charge of for a few different companies in similar industries. Some of it is servicing and improving existing accounts, some is prospecting and closing new ones. Psychos can't do what I do, because I have to build relationships. The one and done guys, call centers, stock market guys, that have no empathy and just close all the time, can sometimes be psychos.

 

[lsa]

@lsa is a salesman.

how rude!

 

[Slobodan]

how rude!

I bet you are a rude salesman.

 

[mixmastermo]

Ok, Judge Mental.

I worked for a Telco in a small town & they pulled out after about 9 years. A company took us all on & saved jobs, but it was all outbound contracted phone call work. It's not easy, you get managers on your back for sales, it's repetitive & get people abuse you.

I never done the wrong thing to sell to people & put people on better plans when they were on shit plans. Was always respectful. I did the right thing, but that lead to average sales. I saw people get rewarded when I knew they were doing the wrong thing, but I still was honest & didn't follow down that path, so can look myself in the mirror at least.

So many people can't hack it. Saw some people start & that day just leave.

Glad that you are or were in a good position, but please respect people that do it rough.

If you aren't interested in someone approaching you on the phone or in person, just say "no thankyou. not interested. wish you all the best". Being nice is not hard to do & people respect that honesty.

Also, call centre work in poor countries is classed as a white collar job.

I am always courteous but there are people who will keep pestering no matter what, to the point of showing up at my job unannounced. These are not exceptions, it happens quite often.

 

[Kowboy On Sherdog]

Not a salesman?

I heard he once sold ice to an Eskimo

 

[Darkavius]

I worked for a Telco in a small town & they pulled out after about 9 years. A company took us all on & saved jobs, but it was all outbound contracted phone call work. It's not easy, you get managers on your back for sales, it's repetitive & get people abuse you.

I never done the wrong thing to sell to people & put people on better plans when they were on shit plans. Was always respectful. I did the right thing, but that lead to average sales. I saw people get rewarded when I knew they were doing the wrong thing, but I still was honest & didn't follow down that path, so can look myself in the mirror at least.

The big problem I have noticed in sales is not sales itself but the lack of support to get the product or service that people are selling. I have been on the back end where I am working on what the client was actually sold and they were sold stuff we could not adequately support or provide at all.

The worst thing is having to support a client that is expecting something that was sold to them and you do not have the resources to get the job done correctly or on time. You're basically forced to do it because people above you are getting the big pay out. So the client and internal resources are coming at you when internally we all knew what was sold was crap to begin with anyway.

 

[jeff7b9]

Cold calling, which at this point is mostly scams, should be punishable by death.

 

[Darkavius]

Cold calling, which at this point is mostly scams, should be punishable by death.

Can someone explain why a company would do cold calling as opposed to doing marketing? I don't understand cold calling when it is far more annoying than just doing marketing/advertising and let the customer decide if they want to make contact or not.

 

[Sweater of AV]

 

[ObsoleteSoul]

Can someone explain why a company would do cold calling as opposed to doing marketing? I don't understand cold calling when it is far more annoying than just doing marketing/advertising and let the customer decide if they want to make contact or not.

Most do not do absolute "cold" calls. You get lists from marketing sites like zoominfo, based on industry and size of the contacts you are targeting. This is how we give our sales members their leads. Most of the cold cold calls are scammers, or small businesses trying to make things happen. Though most will still see it as a cold call, you generally are looking for hand raisers based on search history and the like.