Does it seem like you are one of the preferred targets of telemarketers? There are two ways you can tell: 1/ you receive endless phone calls (most often from unknown numbers) and 2/ your nerves are at their limit! It seems that nothing works to stop the cold calling phenomenon: answering, not answering, insulting them….. But they won’t be stopped. There are even lists you can sign up to for blocking calls from telemarketers, but even this is not a great solution (for example if you receive certain calls in relation to work and you are worried they could be blocked too). Here are 6 tips for putting an end to all of that, because there are certain good responses that can solve the problem.
1) Answer the phone!
We are often advised to ignore people who annoy us, but in this case, it’s the opposite of what you should do. If you ignore the call, the person is obliged to ring back again and again, until you respond. An there is no point in picking up and saying nothing, because for as long as they don’t know whether you are interested or not, they will keep calling.
2) Respond, but don’t engage
Starting a conversation is like opening your door, this only motivates the person to try harder to convince you. So don’t ask any questions, and don’t try and argue with them about why you don’t want the product (they will only want to try harder to persuade you that you are wrong). Don’t express any emotions, especially compassion.
3) There is no point in getting annoyed
They are not contacting you for fun, but because your name has come up in their files and the computer has called you. The telemarketer has no idea that you have already received 5 calls that day. It isn’t their fault.
4) There is also no point in hanging up on them mid-conversation
Unless you want a call back, because “the line seems to have cut out, sorry, where were we…?”
5) Don’t indicate that there would be a better time to call you
To stop telemarketers, there is only one thing that works: a clear and definitive “no”. Anything else will only motivate them to ring you back. If you say you don’t have time to talk, or that it’s a bad time, you can be sure they will call you back! They have scripts to follow that give them all the tricks for responding to what you say, and there is no point in trying to put them off.
6) “Please remove me from your contacts list”
Ask politely but very firmly. If they ask you why, or tell you that they can’t, repeat simply and firmly “I would like to be removed from your contacts list”. If that doesn’t work, try asking them to add you to their “do not contact list”.