Comments on: Clever Concepts: Getting your foot in the door

By: Tofutti

Tofutti — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 00:28:49 +0000

I used to enjoy trying to turn conversations around with telemarketers that would call me at 8PM. I’d go with it for a little while, make them explain all the details of the sale, etc., then when I could tell they were getting antsy, I’d tell them I was undecided and would ask for a contact number. They would invariably give me their company number and I’d say “OK, so this number will let me speak to you again? Because you’ve been so helpful to me, and patient and whatnot, I’d like to buy from you specifically. That way you can get the credit or commission or whatever because you’ve been so good.”
They’d reply (usually) that it was the company number and there was no way to assure that I would get them when I called. So I’d simply ask them for their home phone number “So I can be sure to get the right person..”
Telemarketer: ” Um.. I don’t give out my home number.”
Me: “Why not?”
Telemarketer: ” Because I don’t take these kinds of calls at home.”
Me: “Well, now you know how I feel.” *click*

By: Brugaliar

Brugaliar — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:59:27 +0000

I remember getting the same whisper, Saate. Thought it was clever aswell

By: Saate

Saate — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 01:16:29 +0000

Ahhh Piece d’Or – now I get it, thanks! :)

Funnily enough when you run the sentence through google translation it swaps around the PO to OP – which kinda also works in that sentence when you think about it. For example “Hey, wanna get OP? Buy some gold!”.

I think there’s no doubt that this was an interesting approach that was engaging. Part of me wonders if it was intelligence or maybe if it was the complete opposite and the fool hadnt swapped their spam macros from EU to US servers? Either way it’s still interesting to think about :)

By: GreatMighty

GreatMighty — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 01:08:28 +0000

PO – Piece d’Or
GP – Gold Pieces

By: Disreputable

Disreputable — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:42:07 +0000

We get a lot of solicitors that go door to door. One case in particular was some guy trying to sell us some newspaper I’ve never heard of. The conversation dragged on and on until he brought up his sales pitch to which I replied, “Sorry, but my mom’s in the shower right now” and he had nothing to say.

Another case happened a few months ago when some guy who looked barely out of high school dropped by. He was selling magazine subscriptions. I was bored so I went along with it for awhile. I left the door open enough for the cat to slink out so when he tried to go down the steps I had my chance to go after him shouting, “I don’t have any money! :D”

By: Zevia

Zevia — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 19:48:01 +0000

It’s been awhile since I studied French, but I believe the general message was, “Sorry to disturb you, I’m simply asking if you want some PO (if you want to obtain some PO, literally). Otherwise, have a good day.”

There are a lot of college students who want people to sign things or, more frequently, give donations to whatever cause they’re standing on the corner for, and most of them now start by making eye contact, smiling, and saying, “Hey, how are you today?”

Of course, you have to be rude to not say, “Doing alright” or something, so they rely on people not wanting to be awkward. When someone then engages, they hold out their hand and introduce themselves. “Hi, I’m Dillain Dilly Bob-Joe.” So now people give them their name – the basics of introduction have been accomplished, making walking away that much more difficult.

Then they proceed to tell you about their cause and ask for money. I learned very quickly, living in Seattle, that it’s worthwhile to bring a pair of headphones with you wherever you go. Even if you don’t have an MP3 player or something, just wear your headphones, don’t make eye contact with anybody, and pretend your music’s really loud. If they still try to talk, start headbanging like you just got to some intense part of the song and look you’re totally insane.

The best response, though, I ever heard, was from a friend of a friend who’d been arrested a few times. We were hanging out one night and he said that when those guys around campus ask if you’re registered to vote, he just ends the conversation right there by saying, “Convicted felon.” There’s just nowhere for them to go after that.