I got a call from Shaw Cable Wednesday night. Erin answered the phone, and it was a telemarketer telling us about this fabulous offer that Shaw is willing to give us. He started off with “Are you busy” to which Erin replied “Yeah, I’m kind of busy.” Were this a legitimate business phone call, he would likely have said: “Can I call you back later?” Instead, his response was “Sure sounds like you’re busy.” and then he launched into his schpiel. After he explained to Erin the offer, she said she wasn’t interested, and he wasn’t satisfied with that. She told him again, then handed me the phone.

I was busy trying to get supper into the kids, so I didn’t really pay much attention to what Erin was saying on the phone - in fact I had no idea why she was handing me the phone.

So then the guy goes into his routine again, and I tell him we’re not interested. He doesn’t take no for an answer, so I tell him again. Apparently his skull is very thick from all the punches to the head he’s received from irate callers tracking him down on his off time, because he still persists. So I pull out the old “Please put me on your do not call list.” This line gets rid of most telemarketers, usually with a polite “Ok, sorry to have bothered you.”

This guy, though, he just got mad. He sputtered something about “But, this is your cable company!” I repeated myself, and he seemed unwilling to let it go. Eventually I hung up the phone, but I could still hear him spouting crap as I took the phone away from my ear to find the power button.

So, I was mad. The guy treated me like a complete moron, and tried to use high pressure sales tactics on me. That dog won’t hunt. I immediately called Shaw up to complain. The woman at the customer service desk was polite and helpful, but the whole situation leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I’ve been a shaw customer for significantly more than a decade now, and with one bad interaction, this guy just about ended the whole revenue stream for them. I’m still mad at how poorly he treated both Erin and me. Grrrr.

Someone needs to update the sales training manuals, because I don’t know of a single person who responds positively to those techniques. There are all sorts of other subtle techniques that work, and don’t piss off the potential customer in the process - I guess I’m just surprised that the old “foot in the door” approach would be taught by anyone with half a brain and any experience selling.

Simpson’s quote of the day: “Oh look at me! I’m making people happy! I’m the magical man from Happyland, in a gumdrop house on Lollipop Lane!” - Homer