Telemarketers: villains or victims?

[The Brain]

Haven't had much problem with them since I dropped my landline.

I don't care for them though. If you don't like your job then quit. I have done it, so can they.

[Neil]

The fault lines ultimately in the company running the promotion, not in the individual telemarketer who is merely a lousily paid employee. Abusing them is akin to mouthing off at the poor sod in the complaints section of an airport when there's a problem with your flight.

'I was just following orders' hasn't worked since Nuremburg.

[Neil]

Sorry, but a sale is not a swindle. It's a voluntary action.

People trying to sell you things don't cold call.  That's the province of swindlers.

[CountDeMoney]

Sorry, but a sale is not a swindle. It's a voluntary action.

People trying to sell you things don't cold call.  That's the province of swindlers.

Nonsense.  How do I know and you know if you don't need it if I don't call you?  Duh.

[Neil]

Sorry, but a sale is not a swindle. It's a voluntary action.

People trying to sell you things don't cold call.  That's the province of swindlers.

Nonsense.  How do I know and you know if you don't need it if I don't call you?  Duh.

Send a salesman or a letter.  Advertise.  If you call on the phone, it's fair to assume you're a thief.

[DontSayBanana]

Some insight on the actual life of a telemarketer (spent 6 months as one):

You guys are right that you don't choose to be a telemarketer.  I only "chose" to be a telemarketer when I was desperate, putting apps in everywhere, and after almost three months of being unemployed, I wasn't even getting calls back or making it to the interview stage.

When I got there, I was in the minority- extreme minority.  Most of the telemarketers in our office were about-to-be parolees on work release from an NJDOC halfway back program (turned out the company got a huge tax credit for hiring these guys, so they hired and fired new ones almost on a two-week turnaround).  I'd say there were probably about 30 of us in my office, of whom at least 20 were either in halfway back or as terms of PTI.

At my company, the magic numbers were 1/16 contacts, and 1/6 conversion.  I knew I was in trouble when I pointed out that meant that we only expected one person to bite in every 96 calls (telemarketers' bosses tend to be old-school used-car salesmen types- in fact, at least one coworker did actually have a second job as a used car salesman- so they don't like having employees that can do the math).  We ran pretty close to the average, so that was my day.  Mostly, it was listening to the phone ring and watching the computer autodial another number.

On the rare occasions that I did get someone, they were usually passive-aggressive about being cold-called.  I couldn't come out and tell them I'd prefer they just said "No, get lost- *click*  It would get quality control off my back for a low conversion rate, but those same guys would "randomly" record calls every two weeks.  I wouldn't know which one or two were recorded until my manager would bring me into the office and go over the results.

Unfortunately, I had the bad luck of being the office cynic, so after 6 months, I got to be the office scapegoat- somehow, the manager decided my "negative attitude" (usually brought on by bouts of having him accuse me of having one from out of the blue) was hurting the total office sales, so thankfully (even though I didn't think so at the time), that chapter ended.

ETA: Far be it from me to accuse you guys of ITG Syndrome, but I find the ones who usually whined the hardest about telemarketers "not taking no for an answer" were the ones who beat around the bush and wasted both their and my time.  If they think there's ANY chance in hell of a sale going through, they're going to take it when it means the difference between 7.15/hr and 8.00/hr for the pay period.

[Eddie Teach]

ETA: Far be it from me to accuse you guys of ITG Syndrome, but I find the ones who usually whined the hardest about telemarketers "not taking no for an answer" were the ones who beat around the bush and wasted both their and my time. 

That is self-evident, but what does it have to do with internet tough guys? 

[DGuller]

In my experience, there is a simple test to see whether a telemarketer is just an aggressive peddler, or an outright swindler.  If he hangs up after you clearly say "I'm not interested" twice, you could've done business with him.  If he doesn't hang up, then you shouldn't do business with them.

[Razgovory]

You know, I almost got hired as a telemarketer.  I think.  I don't remember that well.  I remember the job involved a phone.  I think there was something about me they didn't like.

[Eddie Teach]

You know, I almost got hired as a telemarketer.  I think.  I don't remember that well.  I remember the job involved a phone.  I think there was something about me they didn't like.

Did you tell them about the yellow paint incident?

[Razgovory]

You know, I almost got hired as a telemarketer.  I think.  I don't remember that well.  I remember the job involved a phone.  I think there was something about me they didn't like.

Did you tell them about the yellow paint incident?

This might have been before that.  I was heavily medicated at the time and I can't remember much.

[CountDeMoney]

Unfortunately, I had the bad luck of being the office cynic, so after 6 months, I got to be the office scapegoat- somehow, the manager decided my "negative attitude" (usually brought on by bouts of having him accuse me of having one from out of the blue) was hurting the total office sales, so thankfully (even though I didn't think so at the time), that chapter ended.

No, I could believe you had a negative attitude.  That often happens to people stuck in jobs they're overqualified for.  That stuff shows, even when you're actively trying to hide it.  Even stupid people can notice it, much like dogs can sense fear.

[Josquius]

 I've had a lot of friends work as telemarketers at some point. It does sound pretty horrific. And the only way they get by is selling other people tat... And these were just students earning some extra money. To think of those who have to do it as a full time job....
I feel sorry for all salesmen really. Though physical shopkeepers far more than telemarketers.

Some telemarketers do make it hard to like them though. Like the loft insulation people who keep phoning my parents place to try and sell to them...despite our house being a flat roof and my parents repeatedly making this point- the house they have us living in on file is the place we lived when I was a baby too...with a totally different phone number to the current house.
And another time they were trying to sell a new ISP- my dad said he didn't like doing stuff over the phone so they should just send him some papers about it...the next thing we know the buggers have gone and switched us without anything being signed. Some pretty shocking English comprehension there.

[CountDeMoney]

I feel sorry for all salesmen really.

Hey, don't feel too sorry for them.  There are a lot of people out in this world that truly get off on being salesmen;  they actually wake up in the morning, looking forward to that.

[The Brain]

Being a good salesman must be great. A poor salesman not so much.