There are the cold calls we get at home from sellers of cemetery plots, travel deals, vitamins, etc and then there are the cold calls we get at work from sellers of ads, leads, and multi-level marketing plans.
Scenario 1: Several times a day we get, "We have buyers for (insert city)".
Do you want money upfront for these or are you asking for a referral fee?
You mean you have more buyers and sellers than you can handle?
Click!
or Scenario 2: "we can get you #1 positioning in google".
Oh? For how long? For what terms? Does someone have to go to "your site" to search?
Don't you know how much #1 position is worth?
We're already #1 in the terms we want to be.
Oh, everyone says that.
Are you in front of a computer? Go to google and search ------.
Click.
or Scenario 3:
Are you interested in more business?
Where are you located?
Well, in Austin.
Oh, great! Do you know anyone in Austin who wants to buy or sell real estate?
Sharon, Depends on my mood and level of tolerence. I used to reverse the "cold" callers and ask them if they wanted to sell their home or know of anyone....etc. I do this with people selling advertising. One good response, tell them you have more business than you can handle.
Easy to identify these callers so they never get through a 2nd time.
I hate receiving these calls. I also tell our agents that our office policy frowns on cold calling ...
That said, sometimes, I do feel bad for the live callers who are probably just some poor schmucks trying to make a living. But if I have clients in the office and other lines on hold, I still hang up on them.
The recorded robo-voice calls I hate with a passion that can't be described. Who invented that evil and unleashed it on the world? That person should be doing hard time in solitary confinement.
Sharon - I get more of these calls per week than I can count. I love being able to say I am already on page 1 for a number of keywords, or that I will not pay for lead generation. The call usually ends pretty quickly. Tough way to earn a living.
Jeff
Sara - like you, since I don't like being the recipient, I don't cold call.
Steve - do they empathize?
Kimberley - I like that!
Margaret - yes, it definitely depends on mood - and how much time you have when they call.
Jim - some of them really have an attitude, don't they?
Melina - well done.
Maria - you do what you have to do.
Cheryl - no reason to feel bad hanging up on a robot.
Jeff - we all say that our Team Policy is that we do not pay for leads. (referrals, yes of course, but that's a different topic)
Jean - I've noticed, too, that I'm getting more and more of them on my unlisted cell phone number.
Kristal -- click you soon in Pittsburgh. When do you get in?
Brian - using your trigger finger must give you feelings of power as well.
Sharon - I absolutely loathe cold callers, regardless of what they're selling. I typically get calls for real estate-related products in spite of the fact that I'm not an agent. Very frustrating. I, too, try to be polite but t can get extremely frustrating to the point where you really have no other choice but to just hang up. Especially when they won't take "no" for an answer.
Maybe Brian's finger gives him SUPER powers! A Super Finger! Brian's finger can hang up on callers at the speed of light! (Hey, it could happen!)
~Renae
Renae - what's even worse is when the same guy calls one of the four of us on the team, is told that the team policy is that we don't pay for leads, then he calls the second one, gets the same message, etc.
Shaun - I like that response!