Telemarketing and Image

I wish the telemarketers will leave me alone.

Today I received a call from a company who asked to speak to the person who designed my website. I said I'd take a message for the person. Then she used another tactic, saying whether she could speak to a person who hired the web designer. I said I can take a message for the person. She said: are you the one who hired the company then? I repeated: may I take a message?

The conversation went on like this for a while, with her trying to talk to someone who is responsible, and with me answering her using the same phrase: may I take a message? I said this so that I can avoid those who cold call my company. I don't like wasting time listening to their pitch.

I guess the person got frustrated, because she exclaimed: this doesn't make sense! I retaliated: this doesn't make sense to me either! She asked: why not? I said: because you wouldn't let me take the message!

She got even more frustrated, and said: it's OK. Don't even worry about it. Then hung up.

She should have done more work before calling me. She could have looked at the website, and see that I am the only person listed as the contact. She could have asked for my name, rather than asking for "the person who hired...", etc.

The telemarketer must have received terrible or no training from the hiring company. Because of the "telemarketing" image I had of her since the first phrase she uttered, she didn't even have a chance on pitching me!

Telephone etiquette is the first step to image management for telemarketers.