Are You Fed Up Of Sales Calls

GreatSEO · Jun 2, 2006

Thats right i practice as i preach. I am a telemarketer but i also hate getting the calls from people who just waste my time. Maybe its really because it will make my life easier to call people that want the call (i dont know)
Anyway enough garbling lets get to business. If you are getting too many unsolicited calls and dont wish to receive any more or at least 90% less there is something out there called the TPS (telephone preference service) This service allows you to register your company and home telephone number, in fact any number that is a local area coded number to stop receiving these calls.

The companies that will call you after registering will only do so because they have not adhered to the rules that exist within the DPA (data protection act). This could mean that you need to be very carefull if you feel that you would like to deal with them as they do not stick to the rules. Its a free service to everyone and there are a number of ways that you can register.

1 - If you run a BT line call 100 and ask for the TPS and a voice will prompt you through the rest of the service.

2 - If you run a Cable line try http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/ just follow the guide.

I hope this helps some of the members that use UKBF and would also like to say that if this hasn't made sense please contact me and i will guide you through.

Best Regards

Dave

epiphany · Jun 2, 2006

From that site you can navigate to the ctps which is specifically for businesses (corporate telephone preference service), if your business line is also your home line then it's the tps you go for.

GreatSEO · Jun 2, 2006

Epiphany

Thank you and UKBF sorry for not noting this (slaps the back of his hand)

''Ouch''

Dave

SillyJokes · Jun 2, 2006

This is a great thread but I would comment that even with these in place you still get rubbish sales calls from outside the UK trying to get you to change your telecomms or from Excite, It's Cold Outside, SEO companies who don't have a clue what keywords you are targeting and Just 35.com flogging their advertising. They simply don't seem to care if you mention the TPS to them.

Joyous · Jun 2, 2006

Am I fed up of sales calls? Yes! Especially when they lie.

Got a call today from someone claiming to be Laura from Yell.com asking for the name of the person in charge of advertising. I thought this a bit odd as Yell.com have all of my details and phone/write to me by name. As soon as I asked her for her phone number so I could call her back she slammed the phone down. Funny that.

Joy

GreatSEO · Jun 2, 2006

Silly Jokes

Maybe it is time for you to put the wind up their sales so to speak.

You now have the ability to either diarise or record the calls that you are receiving and then report them to the bods that will set the ball in motion for legal proceedings to commence.

There have only been a few of these cases but if everyone joined together and did what is needed people would take more note of the TPS and this will hopefully help to keep the number of calls that you receive to a minimum

Call me if you need any advice

Regards

Dave

directmarketingadvice · Jun 2, 2006

This is a great thread but I would comment that even with these in place you still get rubbish sales calls from outside the UK trying to get you to change your telecomms or from Excite, It's Cold Outside, SEO companies who don't have a clue what keywords you are targeting and Just 35.com flogging their advertising. They simply don't seem to care if you mention the TPS to them.

That's true.

I signed up to this over a year ago (for my home line) and saw a marked decrease in the number of sales calls I get (though it took a couple of months to 'kick in').

I still get the cowboys, but the respectable companies will play by the rules.

I've got a question: if you hired a telemarketing company that ignores this rule and calls people/companies on the list, who gets in trouble:

- you?
- the telemarketing company?
- both of you?

Steve

adam · Jun 2, 2006

I love the sales calls from SEO companies asking if I would like to increase the chance of people finding me on the web.

I say "yeah great, didn't think I needed to, BTW, how did you find me?"

I think you can guess their answer and I then wait for them to realise I have no interest.

I quite enjoy the good letters, calls and emails and one of them was so nice, although I didn't need him I spent half an hour phoning friends in the right industry to get him some leads!

GreatSEO · Jun 2, 2006

Steve

As we act as an in house department for our clients we would call from your company at our location (greater ltd at Bracknell) this would carry the liability at your companies name.

However you would not have this problem with MAD as we only use data companies that adhere to the TPS rules and regulations.

This means that in the exceptional case that someone has been called that is TPS registered the liability then lies with the data supplier and not our client.

Again though we do like to check ourselves to ensure that we are 100% positive that it is TPS compliant.

Regards

Dave

JoyDivision · Jun 2, 2006

I am on the TPS and since then most calls have stopped.

I got one a few weeks ago, I asked where they got my number from they said Yellow Pages, I pointed out it is ilegal to use the yellowpages to make up a mailing list and she got all shirty with me. I then said if they phone me again I will report them.

Funny how the bogus calander advertising stopped too when I got a phone call claiming to be from Greater Manchester police. Funny how they made a basic mistake of not withhelding their number which was from Preston

I was since told me one of my many sources within the organisation that they don't cold call people with regard to advertising it was a scam

.

I got a few like that, one of them was claiming to be Christie Hospital and they were trying to sell me the same thing. The sales pich was always the same.

They target new businesses because they think they won't be aware of such scams.

epiphany · Jun 2, 2006

David Smith said:
Epiphany

Thank you and UKBF sorry for not noting this (slaps the back of his hand)

''Ouch''

Dave

Not at all! Thanks for bringing it up, it's unreal how many people don't bother signing up for this.

Sandy · Jun 2, 2006

The thing that gets me about cold calls is they always start by enquiring about my health...as if they care. The majority are running from a script. When I have the time I get great pleasure out of throwing them off guard and off script. What do all you telemarketers have to say....Am I not your favourite person eh?

Sandy

CG Effect · Jun 3, 2006

I hate it when they pretend to be a marketing agency and say they were looking for someone that do what I do and they have plenty of work for me. They then ask for my credit card as I have to pay them weekly to get the work when I start asking what type of agency they are they then ask me what my business is thats when I put the phone down. The same guy rings up every week with a different company name and its mostly SEO stuff to get me to the top of the natural search listings by creating a load of websites linked to mine. I can never tell if its a project order or what with the way they start their dodgy sales pitch.

KateCB · Jun 3, 2006

Yep, I fell foul of this......I agreed to do some advertising, then I was called to confirm it....a f ew weeks later, the same company called again and offered a discount as they has exceeded their quota....yep, I fell for it....a few weeks later they called to make a recorded confirmation - All the same company - I though it was the ONE advert - no, it turned out to be FOUR....

I did find out though that once they send you a proof, regardless of their terms and conditinos of sale, you ARE legally entitled to cancel it in writing within 14 days......that WAS good news - saved me 2,300quid that I didn;t know I had supposedly agreed to!

Kate
http://www.martialdesign.co.uk
A member of the karate Kid Ltd Group
The ORIGINAL online martial arts store
Established ONLINE 1999

Steve Roberts · Jun 3, 2006

I can't remember whether I've posted on this subject on UKBF, if so forgive the repost.

When I'm in the office I have no problem receiving cold calls from people canvassing for my business, not least of all because I need suppliers as much as I need customers. However, when I get home and I'm just about to sit down and eat my dinner, I begrudge being cold called. Not least of all because I've registered with the TPS, so I shouldn't be getting unsolicited calls. It seems though that many replacement window companies have little respect for the TPS so they phone me anyway.

I've now developed a way of getting shot of them with the minimum of fuss. Generally, these people work from a defined script, so I've found the secret is to force them to divert from their script, leaving them defenseless, by replying to the questions with abstract answers which the script doesn't cater for. My favourite at the moment goes something like this:

Ringedy ring ring....

"hello"
"good evening is that Mr Roberts?"
"certainly is"
"we're looking for show houses to display our UPVC windows, so we're selling them at highly discounted prices and we thought you might be interested".
"well I'm not"
"why is that, may I ask?"
"yes, you may ask"
"oh um, we have flexible payment options"
"but it's not the money"
"okay, do you already have replacement windows?"
"no I don't"
"then is there a reason you're not interested?"
"yes there is"
"okay, what would that be?"
"I don't have any windows?"
"I'm sorry?"
"please don't apologise it's not your fault"
"so you don't have ANY windows at all?"
"correct"
"Why's that?"
"I bricked them all in to save me cleaning them. Saves time. Time is money".
"umm, okay, well.. thanks for your time"
"no, thank you for yours. If the situation changes I'll be sure to call you".

I can highly recommend the above (or a version of it) because it works a treat!

Cornish Steve · Jun 4, 2006

Answers the phone to hear...
"Hello, sir. I'm calling you on behalf of such-n-such bank. I wonder if..."
"Sorry. I'm busy right now. Give me your home number and I'll call you later."
"But sir. I can't give you my home number."
"Why? Don't you like complete strangers calling you unannounced? Well, neither do I."
Puts down the phone.

Sandy · Jun 4, 2006

goldctrsteve said:
Answers the phone to hear...
"Hello, sir. I'm calling you on behalf of such-n-such bank. I wonder if..."
"Sorry. I'm busy right now. Give me your home number and I'll call you later."
"But sir. I can't give you my home number."
"Why? Don't you like complete strangers calling you unannounced? Well, neither do I."
Puts down the phone.

Yes. I like this one very much. No doubt I'll have opportunity to try it out later today....probably when I'm about to sit down to dinner with the family!
Sandy

GreatSEO · Jun 5, 2006

The best objection that i ever got when selling the double glazing many moons ago was -

I live in a cornflake box in the middle of a field and have metal shutters for windows. Do you do camel kennels though????

That really put me off but was a fantastic one to remember for when they call me at home now

Regards

Dave

Sandy · Jun 5, 2006

Like that one too!
Sandy

SillyJokes · Jun 8, 2006

I was called by Mori wanting to do a poll about my free time

"I'll tell you about my free time," I ranted, "I don't like it interrupted by unsolicited phone calls when I'm on the TPS!"

Click, brrrrrrrrrrrr.

She put the phone down on me. Perhaps it was the rising tone of hysteria that tinged my snarling voice, or perhaps Mori are being naughty and not checking with the TPS.

theMBA · Jun 9, 2006

I like the strategy posted in another thread on UKBusinessForums, for dealing with cold calls, something like:

"... no this isn't Mr Smith, but hold on the line ... (aside) 'hey, Bill, be sure to get a picture of the body from the side , and be careful not to step in the blood' ... right, hold on the line, you've just called into a crime scene. I'll need to take your details, the address where you work etc ... we'll be sending a patrol car round to your office to interview you, as you obviously know the deceased ..."

butterflysmile · Jun 9, 2006

Haha, some great ideas there! I'll have to remember those.

My favourite at the minute is when they ask for Mrs Williams (my boyfriend's surname) I tell them no one of that name lives here. They then ask to speak to the bill payer or Mr Williams. I tell them I'll just go and get him. So I then leave the phone off the hook, go and carry on cooking or eating my dinner (as they do usually ring at gone 7pm), go back after a while and if they're still there, say he's just on his way, or just hang up.

Emma

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