Apparently my job is not real work

[aurelemsrealm]

As some of you may remember, I took a telemarketing job a couple of weeks ago because it offered a better pay rate than my c-store job. I sell discounted vacation packages for a timeshare company. I've written a few deals in the past couple of weeks, but most of the calls suck quite honestly. I'm sure you can imagine if you don't already know that it's real tedious calling on people who don't necessarily want to talk to you. I know I certainly come home from 6.5 hours there feeling more exhausted than 8 or 10 hours at the c-store running the shift alone on a busy night. I really don't want to get off the couch to do anything when I get home from this new job at the end of the work day.

So, this call comes up, and I start with my standard greeting. "Hi! This is (aurelemsrealm) with (company). How are you today?"

Woman who sounds bitchy: "Busy working at a real job unlike people who call to pester me with stupid stuff I don't want."

It just hit me the wrong way, but I made myself laugh if off "What a coincidence! I'm busy working at a real job which helps pay my bills, too!"

"Well, I'm trying to accomplish something important, and you're bothering me!" she replies in a real snotty tone.

"Okay, then, hope the rest of your day is just as nice!" I hung up on her after that because I knew I'd get pissed if I kept talking to her.

I know that not everyone wants to talk to telemarketers, and I can understand that. I just don't appreciate the abusive behavior of some people as soon as they answer the phone. I would have told people to leave at the c-store for being that abusive.

I was considering the prospect of entirely quitting my job at the c-store, but have since reconsidered that idea. I've just reduced my hours there to one or two nights per week. I can handle two jobs. I've done it before. I've done school and work before. I can do two jobs again. I don't know how long I'll last at the telemarketing job. It's really been a trying couple of weeks. I guess I'll get good at it if it's meant to be. Like I said, I work 6.5 hours on an average shift, and it leaves me feeling more worn out than 8 or 10 hours on a busy shift at the c-store. I think I've crashed on the couch for a nap after work every evening this week. Usually, after a Friday or Saturday night at the c-store, it takes me quite a few beers to get settled down enough to sleep. Well, I could go on, but you probably get the point.

[Swordsman422]

I bet she'd think it was real work if she had to do it. Then again, some people don't think a job is real unless it's something you have to suffer through by the hour, which I think telemarketing tops that list. My mom is this way. I have a cousin who's been flying for the Navy for sixteen years and every time he comes up in conversation, she says "I can't wait until he grows up and gets a real job." and claims that "he doesn't live in the real world." He's a Lt. Commander and in his late 30's. His career gives him real fulfillment and he enjoys doing it, whch to her translates as not a real work, because work is supposed to be punishment meated out by God on you for being human.

Seriously, I'd have ended with a "fuck you and hung up."

[Calud]

Don't be too harsh on them. Maybe they had a bad day? Maybe they were stuck in traffic, late for work, the coffee machine exploded on them and they were late with something they thought they had another day. And after all that, you call them with something they really don't want.

[BaristaTrav]

Been there, done that (5 years, selling cruises). Money was good, but not worth my sanity. Best of luck to you.

[Becks]

I bet she'd think it was real work if she had to do it. Then again, some people don't think a job is real unless it's something you have to suffer through by the hour, which I think telemarketing tops that list. My mom is this way. I have a cousin who's been flying for the Navy for sixteen years and every time he comes up in conversation, she says "I can't wait until he grows up and gets a real job." and claims that "he doesn't live in the real world."

I'm sorry, but I think your mom needs a meeting with the salmon.

[Swordsman422]

Yeah, she doesn't live in the real world much. Her whole world is misery and dissapointment, and she only feels good making others feel the way she does. I think a lot of SCs are sucky because their world and life are not what they expect, so when they can't bring themselves up, they have to bring others down.

[queenbb]

i wonder how being a pilot in the navy translates as not a real job.

as far as telemarketing goes, i did it for about 2 weeks before i couldnt take the abuse from every one any more. i even had to call one of my friends to sell something, she answers the phone and doesnt realize it was me and just bit my head off.

i see her later on and say thanks for biting my head off the other night, i was the salesperson who called you, she just got embarrased cause she didnt realize that the person on the other end was a real person, and some one she knew at that.

i was unemployed for 2 years, and i could have gone back to it, but it was not worth my sanity.

[aurelemsrealm]

Seriously, I'd have ended with a "fuck you and hung up."

LOL! I hear that. I believe my real words upon hitting the mute button were, "Burn in hell, bitch!"

Of course, I hit the mute button because I didn't want to risk my job over her shitty attitude toward me. The company has a zero tolerance policy about recorded instances of profanity. They have fired some very good telemarketers with consistently high sales revenues for accidental slips of the tongue that were recorded between calls. A percentage of all your phone calls are recorded at random for future reference. Your line can be recorded whether or not you are actually taking a call. What's funny is that you can generally tell who is muted. The shifting of speech can be so vastly different when muted, much less "professional."

The rest of you only have my word to go on, but I'm not as pushy as the company would like me to be. I'm not an aggressive personality type (unless provoked), and that's likely to be my downfall at this job. I don't particularly care because I can easily go back to my c-store job full time. I'm working one or two days there per week, so I'm still technically on payroll. I was uncertain about telemarketing from the start. I was simply looking at the hourly base pay being more money than my pay rate at the c-store, and then the possibility of commission being added for hitting quota each week. So, there is a potential for good money if you can get through to the people on the other end of the line. I'm not that pushy, but I'm not one to quit when things get tough. I'm much too stubborn to just give up on things, even if I say I quit for a while. I'm soon back at it, fighting whatever obstacle seems to be blocking my way. I guess my big conflict is that we get stuck with calling people who are adamantly opposed to being bothered with us for any reason at all. I mean, there are some who don't even give me a chance to introduce myself before they act as if I've committed a cardinal sin for having the nerve to call them. Yes, how dare me for being an evil telemarketer! How could I possibly not know the mind (word very loosely applied in some cases) of this person I've never met who will be connected to my line next by the auto dialer. I'm not even talking about the ones who simply hang up, say they're not interested and then hang up, or ask to be removed from the list. I can understand that reaction. I don't like it because it doesn't help me make quota, but I will comply with that anyhow.

I'm talking about the ones who sound as if they're ready to spit bile and spin their heads like they're possessed by a demon just because their number was on our list and dialed by our computer. Those hateful types just need to get a grip on themselves. Believe me, if they don't want to bother talking to me, I certainly have no interest in talking to them either. Some have been such horrid example of human being (another term applied loosely) that I have told a few of them some polite, professional version of "GO TO HELL," and hung up because they just start ranting. I've been tempted to remove them from the list just so that I won't have the misfortune of being connected to them once again later, but we've been instructed to only code a record for removal from the database if it was specifically requested. If they're just the babysitter or someone like that who has indicated that they don't own the line, I still ignore the request. I figure that if they don't own the line, then who the hell are they to give me such an order. That has happened once or twice, but if they don't own that phone line, then hell with them anyhow.

Here was another real nice one. I was connected to a guy who insisted he was on the Do Not Call list. However, his records indicated that he had previously done business with one of our company's business partners, which technically provides us with a loophole against that particular argument. So, he asked why we were calling him, and I explained the entry on his record. He was very nasty about his argument that it didn't matter. He started demanding my name, which I'd already told him and my badge number. I refused to tell him my badge number as my name is sufficient to identify me. He again demanded my badge number, and I again repeated my name, even spelling it for him. He then yelled about filing a complaint because I refused to properly identify myself. "Sorry you feel that way, but I have no incentive to deceive you as this call may be monitored. I have given you my real name, and I will now put you on the line with my supervisor. Please hold." He continued ranting about how we were going to pay and blah, blah, blah. I hit the mute button and signalled the supervisor that I needed him to take the call. I explained the situation, and said that the guy is just being ridiculous. So, the supervisor takes over, and the guy starts ranting about not appreciating being cut off and put on hold. Of course, we complied with his request for removal from the list. Beyond that, I felt no obligation, so I now freely say that I hope this guy, too, rots in hell for being such a prick. Yes, I mean it just as personally as he meant his attack. Now, I can feel better about it and go on with life.

Ah, such a joyous life is this!!!!! LOL!!!! At least I can laugh about it later even though it didn't feel humorous at the time.

[Andara Bledin]

I'm not certain of the actual law, but aren't telemarketers required to dial by hand?

I thought I had heard somewhere that autodialers were not legal.

(it's too hot, so my Google-fu is not coming into play today)

^-.-^

[aurelemsrealm]

I really don't know. I'm thinking it's illegal to use the auto-dialer to just call any possible number at random. I think you have to program it to comply with the DNC list, but I'm not sure.

What I can tell you is that I log on to the system at shift start. My manual phone rings, and I push the button to turn it on to receive my first call of the shift. There is a brief beep in my headset as the customer record pops up on screen with the suggested offer. The customer has already answered by the time I hear the beep. That's my cue to introduce myself and greet the customer. We do have a manual dialer for calling on referrals, but we are required by company policy to check all referrals to make sure they're not on the DNC lists and verify it with a supervisor before making calls on referrals.

[Rahmota]

Swordsman422: Is your cousin a carrier pilot ? Maybe let him take your mom for a trip on that and see if its still not work...... Though probably she thinks that the Top Gun Tom Cruise playboy life is what he's living too.

[Mr. Rude]

Sorry to all the telemarketer types here, but.....

After a loooonnnggg day of answering stupid calls from SC's, the last thing I need is playing the same game at home..

I know you all have a job to do, but so do I....When I'm at work...

Please leave me at peace at home

[AirHostess]

I had people tell me being a flight attendant isn't a real job. 'You just fly around all day and serve coffee and flirt with the pilots.'

[Salesmonkey]

I regret that you aren't enjoying your telemarketing job. It's admirable that you are trying to gut it through the bad parts, but you might need to ask yourself if the extra money is worth working in one of the most hated, reviled, and despised industries in existence. I have also done sales over the phone, and the truth is I got more respect at my next job, which involved killing small animals, gutting them, and putting their innards in a blender.

Telemarketers are seen as fair game for abuse because most people consider their telephone to be their property, and they don't enjoy paying their monthly phone bills for the convenience of somebody they don't know to advertise to them. It might be different if we got a piece of candy or a T-shirt or even heard a really funny joke from the poor soul who's on the other end of the line. I doubt your call script contains any jokes.

So since the people you are calling can't get any tangible reward by listening to you, some petty, vindictive people (like me) will get their satisfaction by using you as a punching bag for their verbal abuse. I seriously hope you never call me, because if you do here is a taste of what you might receive:

1. I will make you shout.
"Oh, you have a special price on (whatever). That sounds really interesting, and I'd like to hear more. Could you please speak a little louder? I'm having trouble hearing you. Just a little bit louder, please. It must be a bad connection. I'm sorry, what did you say? Could you please just speak a little louder? Please, I just can't understand what you're saying. Well, maybe it's just you. Is there someone else there who could talk to me about (whatever)? I just can't understand you. Maybe there's somebody there who speaks better English. You could put on somebody who speaks more clearly and then they could tell me about (whatever). What? Could you speak a little louder?" (repeat as needed)

2. I'm a career counselor.
"Sure, I've got some time to hear about (whatever). Do you enjoy selling (whatever)? Really? Most people don't enjoy telemarketing. You know, if you got a little more education you could get a better job. Of course, that's not for everybody. Some folks can't do any better than a dead-end job. Well, like they said in Caddyshack, the world needs ditch-diggers too!"

3. You so sexy.
"I might be interested in (whatever). What was your name again? Thanks, (name). Yes, it does sound like a great deal, (name). You've got a very attractive voice, (name). I'm really enjoying talking to you, (name). Do you like me, (name)? I bet you're really cute, (name). What are you wearing?" (works even better on telemarketers of the same gender)

4. The toothpaste script.
http://www.xs4all.nl/~egbg/counterscript.html

If anybody else out there has any other good tactics, I'd like to hear them. Remember, there is a symbiotic relationship between telemarketers and fatuous jerks. Only those people who call me receive abuse. There is abundant love for folks who leave me in peace.

[Barefootgirl]

All the people with "clever" tricks to play on telemarketers might wish to remember that as per the OP, telemarkters are real people, with real feelings, and real bills to pay just like you and me, and some of them belong to the CS community.

A short "thanks, but no thanks" and then hanging up may not make you feel half as clever as leaving them on hold for hours, or wasting their time with silly-ass "scripts", but a little courtesy goes a long way.