Three tips to help with marketers

[asdf1001]

(I just read this elsewhere, thought I would pass it on)

Get Your Own Back on MarketersTips for handling marketers

(1)The three little words that work: "Hold On please..."

Saying this, while putting down your phone and walking off (instead of
hanging-up immediately) would make each telemarketing call so much more
time-consuming that boiler room sales would grind to a halt.

Then when you eventually hear the phone company's "beep-beep-beep" tone,
you know it's time to go back and hang up your handset, which has
efficiently completed its task.

These three little words will help eliminate telephone soliciting.

(2) Do you ever get those annoying phone calls with no one on the other
end?

This is a telemarketing technique where a machine makes phone calls and
records the time of day when a person answers the phone.

This technique is used to determine the best time of day for a "real"
sales person to call back and get someone at home.

What you can do after answering, if you notice there is no one there, is
to immediately start hitting your # button on the phone, 6 or 7 times,
as quickly as possible This confuses the machine that dialed the call
and it kicks your number out of their system. Gosh, what a shame not to
have your name in their system any longer !!!

(3) Junk Mail Help:

When you get "ads" enclosed with your phone or utility bill, return
these "ads" with your payment. Let the sending companies throw their own
junk mail away.

When you get those "pre-approved" letters in the mail for everything
from credit cards to 2nd mortgages and similar type junk, do not throw
away the return envelope.

Most of these come with postage-paid return envelopes, right? It costs
them more than the regular 24p postage "IF" and when they receive them
back.

It costs them nothing if you throw them away! The postage was around 29p
before the last increase and it is according to the weight. In that
case, why not get rid of some of your other junk mail and put it in
their postage-paid return envelopes.

For example; send an ad for your local chimney cleaner to American
Express. Send a pizza coupon to Citibank. If you didn't get anything
else that day, then just send them their blank application back!

If you want to remain anonymous, just make sure your name isn't on
anything you send them. You can even send the envelope back empty if you
want to just to keep them guessing! It still costs them 24p.

The banks and credit card companies are currently getting a lot of their
own junk back in the mail, but folks, we need to OVERWHELM them. Let's
let them know what it's like to get lots of junk mail, and best of all
they're Paying for it...Twice!

Let's help keep our postal service busy since they are saying that
e-mail is cutting into their business profits, and that's why they need
to increase postage costs again. You get the idea ?

IF ENOUGH PEOPLE DO THIS IT WILL WORK

THIS JUST MIGHT BE ONE E-MAIL THAT YOU WILL WANT TO FORWARD TO YOUR
FRIENDS

[cellophanedeity]

I heard a story once where someone sent a company three pennies in a business reply envelope. Then they called and said that they accidentally sent them twelve (?) pennies and would like a cheque for twelve cents. The company actually sent them the cheque. This ended up costing the company the weight of the pennies in mail charges, plus an extra envelope and mail for that.

I bet that if people did this sort of thing more often, the whole business reply envelope thing would stop all together.

[Martian]

This is another one of those feel-good schemes. By doing the things on the list, you feel like you're doing your part to combat useless mail and unsolicited calls. The truth is, you're not likely to have much of an impact.

Telemarketing works. Junk mail works. These types of advertising result in sales; I know this because the companies responsible keep doing this. Marketing in this fashion takes resources, namely money. And if they weren't making their money back, the businesses responsible wouldn't bother.

My method of dealing with telemarketers is simple. I tell them at earliest convenience that I'm not interested in what they have to sell. The individual on the other end of the phone is a person too and is simply trying to earn a day's wage. Why would I take my frustration at being called out on him?

[heywatsup]

hahah excellent !
i hate those damm telemarketers so bad, i shall be using these tips !

[jorgelito]

You can always register on the Do Not Call list and you can opt out of credit card offers. It really isn't hard at all. Increasing their costs will only result in them passing on that cost to the rest of us.

[flat5]

I live in Holland. When I receive one of these calls, I tell them in English, 'I have no money. I'm not buying anything. Goodbye.'
It works for me :-)

[newtx]

I have used #1 many times. Probably doesn't really slow up the calls but at least makes me feel less irritated. I will try # 2& 3 on the junk mail when I have a little time to kill.

[Redlemon]

Originally Posted by Martian

This is another one of those feel-good schemes. By doing the things on the list, you feel like you're doing your part to combat useless mail and unsolicited calls. The truth is, you're not likely to have much of an impact.

Or, for that matter, ANY impact. Check it out on Snopes: Tips for Telemarketers.

Acting on the advice offered in the above-quoted piece will not bring about the desired results.

[asdf1001]

a lot of good comments ... especially yours Redlemon. I know I take several calls a day from telemarketers and it gets really frustrating. The problem with most is they will NOT take no for an answer. I really do try to be nice and very often they are either very persistant or just get downright rude.

I have even had them go so far as to call me back and call me ugly names!

I've had NO luck with the "do not call" list. In reality, there's probably no solution to the frustration.

My final wonder is: do these people REALLY like their jobs that much ???

[Jinn]

(1)The three little words that work: "Hold On please..."

Doesn't work. Actually backfires. I worked as a telemarketer in my impressionable high-school days, and this does nothing but help the guy on the other end of the phone. Because so often people immediately hang up when you identify yourself as XXX from XXX company, one metric of your job "success" is call time. I had a couple bosses who looked at call time directly, and if you weren't keeping people on the phone for more than 10 seconds, they'd come speak to you. They'd coach you in skills to keep the person talking longer, because the longer someone listens and talks, the more likely you are to make a sale. And people that just set the phone down? Oh baby did I sit on that call. I didn't have to do anything for those couple minutes, and it inflated the HELL out of my call time. So thank you, phone-setter-downers. (Even tho I quit that job in about 2 months)

My final wonder is: do these people REALLY like their jobs that much ???

You gotta understand that it can be serious cash for someone who is good at sales. I was HORRIBLE at it, because when someone like you said "not interested" I was like "oh, sorry.." instead of our scripted "I hear what you're saying, but I'd like to save you some money..." People who made 100% or 200% of their 'plan' for that month could rake in a $500-$1000 bonus on stop of their hourly wage. On some of our 'plans' it would be 3 or 4 sales in a two week period! So one person that you manage to convince to buy means the potential for hundreds of dollars for you. That's why they're so persistant.

Although I made almost no sales at all when I worked there, I'll tell you that most effective thing someone did was just hang up. It's depressing as hell (and they had mandatory suicide prevention training every couple months) but it works. "Hi this is JinnKai and I'm calling from XX company {CLICK}". I just moved on to the next person without wasting their time or my time.

(2) Do you ever get those annoying phone calls with no one on the other end?

This is a telemarketing technique where a machine makes phone calls and
records the time of day when a person answers the phone.

This technique is used to determine the best time of day for a "real"
sales person to call back and get someone at home.

What you can do after answering, if you notice there is no one there, is
to immediately start hitting your # button on the phone, 6 or 7 times,
as quickly as possible This confuses the machine that dialed the call
and it kicks your number out of their system. Gosh, what a shame not to
have your name in their system any longer !!!

JABBERWOCKY. "Confuses the machine and kicks your number out of their system?" A computer system that deletes a valuable phone number from the database because the user presseed ######### ?

Snopes covered #3.

My method of dealing with telemarketers is simple. I tell them at earliest convenience that I'm not interested in what they have to sell. The individual on the other end of the phone is a person too and is simply trying to earn a day's wage. Why would I take my frustration at being called out on him?

Mature. Responsible. Commendable.

Thank you.

[stevo]

I get all my telemarketing calls at work. Not for me personally, but for the business. So I usually listen to them, see if they are offering anything of value, etc. I would say half the calls are from canada. I like to chat with canadians, and they like to chat with me since I'm in florida. Most of the canadian telemarketers I talk to are really interested in the weather down here.

A co-worker of mine told me about #2 (not poo-poo, I know what your thinking). He saves all of his junk mail and tears is all into little bits and then stuffs those reply envelopes so full. I've always thought it was moronic. It seems to make him feel better though.

[Xazy]

I used to pretend phone sex with any telemarketer... That got me off a ton of lists.

Now I am on the do not call lists.

Sometimes I do send back the envelopes from the mail spam.

A friend of a friend of mine actually signs up for as much spam mail as can be. He has a machine that ties the paper tight, and uses it in his fire place during the winter. Saves on heat bills.

[ngdawg]

If you are on a do-not-call list and getting solicited, you can contact your state attorney and turn the caller in. Worked here and the company, (which the state had been trying to get shut down somehow) was fined over $150k.

As for the unsolicited credit card aps, the best thing that seemed to work for me was to write in big magic marker across the application: STOP SENDING ME THIS SHIT, place it in their envelope with everything they sent. They will stop. Citibank was sending us two apps a WEEK-we don't get any now from them. Now on to Discover cards....

The only time sending change worked was for an outstanding hospital bill that I was getting harrassed for-it was for $.37. I sent 3 dimes. The 7c was written off apparently, as I never heard from them again.

[maleficent]

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/...optoutalrt.htm

Unsolicited Mail, Telemarketing and Email: Where to Go To “Just Say No”
Tired of having your mailbox crammed with unsolicited mail, including pre-approved credit card applications? Fed up with getting telemarketing calls just as you’re sitting down to dinner? Fuming that your email inbox is chock-full of unsolicited advertising? The good news is that you can cut down on the number of unsolicited mailings, calls and emails you receive by learning where to go to “just say no.”

Credit Bureaus

The credit bureaus offer a toll-free number that enables you to “opt-out” of having pre-approved credit offers sent to you for two years. Call 1-888-5-OPTOUT (567-8688) for more information. When you call, you’ll be asked for personal information, including your home telephone number, your name and your Social Security number. The information you provide is confidential and will be used only to process your request to opt out of receiving pre-screened offers of credit.

In addition, you can notify the three major credit bureaus that you do not want personal information about you shared for promotional purposes—an important step toward eliminating unsolicited mail. Write your own letter or use the sample letter on the back of this Alert to limit the amount of information the credit bureaus will share about you. Send your letter to each of the three major credit bureaus:

Equifax, Inc.
Options
PO Box 740123
Atlanta, GA 30374-0123

Experian
Consumer Opt-Out
701 Experian Parkway
Allen, TX 75013

TransUnion
Name Removal Option
P.O. Box 505
Woodlyn, PA 19094

Direct Marketers

Telemarketing
The Federal Government has created the National Do Not Call Registry—the free, easy way to reduce the telemarketing calls you get at home. To register, or to get information, visit www.donotcall.gov, or call 1-888-382-1222 from the phone you want to register. You will receive fewer telemarketing calls within three months of registering your number. It will stay in the registry for five years or until it is disconnected or you take it off the registry. After five years, you will be able to renew your registration.

Mail
The Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) Mail Preference Service lets you opt out of receiving direct mail marketing from many national companies for five years. When you register with this service, your name will be put on a “delete” file and made available to direct-mail marketers. However, your registration will not stop mailings from organizations that are not registered with the DMA’s Mail Preference Service. To register with DMA, send your letter to:

Direct Marketing Association
Mail Preference Service
PO Box 643
Carmel, NY 10512

[ratbastid]

I was a telemarketer as a summer job when I was in college. It's really a pretty cool job, if you find the right company to work for. I was calling on behalf of the Utah Symphony, selling concert subscriptions. For sure, some of the people we called were rude and ugly to us, but we're the Symphony. In a place with as little culture as Salt Lake City, when the Symphony calls you, you stop what you're doing. By my third summer, I fucking KILLED at it, and made really good money doing it.

We were too classy a joint to have a Shit List. We kept a list of assholes' names on a Fecal Roster. Good times.

So when a telemarketer calls me these days, I have a very quick listen to them. If they're talking to me as if they were a robot, I interrupt them and tell them to put me on their company's do-not-call list. They're legally required to do that immediately if you ask them to. Damn robots. I've got no time for them!

If they're talking to me like a human being, I'll listen briefly to see if I'm interested in what they're selling (it happens!), and decline politely if not.