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Do you think cold calling is an effective sales method? What do you do when you receive one and you don't have time (or the inclination) to listen to the caller? How do you end the call without being

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I have experienced 2 types phonecall and physically showing up.

1st type stopped when I got rid of the landline(NTT), 2nd type I still get occassional.

IMO, not an effective way to make sales.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I am never rude to cold callers, I usually say how interested I am in their product/service and I was thinking of getting it so it is really useful they have called but I am just in the middle of something, could they please hold on for a second and I will be back. Then I go off and continue with what ever i was doing, coming back a bit later to see if they are still on the line, which if they are I try to get them to hang on a bit longer and see how long they will waste their time and money! after an initial flurry of calls a few years ago, for some reason I now very rarely get any!

No it is not effective and even counter productive and can damage the companies reputation with customers.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I usually just ask them if they speak English. That is usually enough. If not I ask directly if they want to sell something and tell them I don't wnat to buy anything.

If that doesn't work, I get rude. A friend of mine who had had a job as a salesman told me not to worry about being rude to cold callers. He said that they are trained to keep you talking until you get rude. Most people don't want to be rude, so they listen to the sales talk.

The worst have been NTT. I have used, "Oh good, NTT, I was thinking of cancelling my line. Can you put me through to the right person to do that?" "No, we can't do that." " Well the just f... ..."

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Yeeeeaaaars ago, when I was a nihongo bandit, I would talk to them for some free wakaiwa(tm) and see how long it would take them to figure out I wasn't Japanese.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The (polite) method I usually use is to inform the cold caller that the person they are looking for is not known at this number/address or else deceased. Sometimes it works, but not always. Telling them that I'm not interested in what they're selling, or that I already have a similar product by a rival provider doesn't seem to work well.

Most commonly though I just hang up without saying a word. There used to be a time where you could leave the phone off the hook, and they wouldn't be able to dial anyone else until you hung up, but unfornately they're able to disconnect the call now so that method is obsolete. I might try speaking a different language in future, see if that makes any difference. Probably not, but it's a possibility to explore.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

@Thunderbird

What makes you think "pensioners" are interested ? None of those in my family have ever been !

As for me - since I no longer have the "show number" thingy - I just reply "Allô ? Allô ! ALLÔ ? by the third (or fourth "Allô") they usually give up...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Cold calling is garbage. I've been on both ends. Back in the 90s I had a sales cold calling job, and the only ones who wouldn't hang up were the retirees. In 2017, the only cold calls I get are from automated systems, which I hang up on right away and block the #.

If one isn't interested in the first place, you're not going to get their business at all with a cold call. There are much better means of advertising.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Easy, i just don't worry about being rude. And i don't think it's effective at all, in fact, i think it has the opposite effect, it makes me hate their products even more. One time i tried to give advice to one of the callers, and told her that they would be more successful if they just send me an email or a message letting me know that there is a new promo or new offer or whatever it is they are selling, and i can just check it on their website. I think that would be a lot more successful than calling me.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

If a phone number is not in my Address book, I NEVER answer. Real callers will leave a message.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Thank you very much. Good-by.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I tell them to get a more respectable job like bar work or a convenience store clerk, then put the phone down.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Why the necessity to not be rude? I get cold-called almost once a week as it seems my number somehow ended up on a property cold-call list. As soon as I say "not interested" they ask "but whhyyy?". So cutting out my initial answer & just hanging up saves us both time.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

gaijin playaFEB. 28, 2017 - 12:19PM JST

i either just hang up, or tell them to please wait a few seconds while I turn the stove off and just leave the phone on to see how long theyll wait. my record is an NTT lady: 13 minutes!

That is probably because you have overdue phone bills. Otherwise, NTT will not call you. By the way, I have never got a phone call from NTT.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Cold calling is only carried out by those who have little or no marketing / lead generation skills (or budget). It is totally unnecessary.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

How do you end the call without being rude?

They are the intruders and being rude, so end the call anyway you like.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

I say Hello , I let them say their spill. then I say no thanks and I hang up. These people have a awful job. I have been told if the caller get their spill in they get a pay of some amount which I don,t know. If I am busy , I say busy sorry, I will call you back and hang up, like I would treat any caller. But they are usually it is a no numbers caller.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I know a lot of people don't like clicking on posted links - but try this one - it is the ultimate in dealing with cold callers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIVfrBFc5og or go Telemarketer Crime Scene Prank - Tom Mabe - YouTube

Cut and paste it if need be. You will laugh.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

At the end it's all about the numbers. Even if 99 calls are unsuccessful if the last one is a success then it's mission accomplished. As long as ROI is plus then even cold calls are useful.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Cold Caller: Hello. Am I speaking to the telephone account holder? me: I'm sorry, but we don't have a phone here. Cold Caller: Oh......... me: Goodbye!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

cold calling definitely is effective, especially if the call is small to medium scale B2B sales.

i've sold tens of millions of dollars worth of equipment to brand new customers that i simply found by making cold calls to businesses in my target market. those customers were thrilled to have my equipment and financing we were able to source for them.

if a company has something that actually provides value to the potential customer, cold calling will always be effective.

however, selling low end stuff like vacuum cleaners or kitchen knives over the phone is a trashy way to do business. low end B2C cold calling is not a very efficient way to make money for most products.

one only needs to look at companies like radio shack or sears, which decided they wanted to try to sell low end consumer goods directly to customers through their lame customer info collection schemes, instead of focusing on keeping their niche in retail and staying competitive online. radio shack is gone and sears will be gone in a few years too.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

I typically just hangup although, once there was a chick there that managed to catch my interest and for a while she was just calling me to chat in english on unrelated subject.... haha

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Guess B2B cold calling still works for some. Different story calling individuals in their homes or on their private mobile though.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

It's annoying, we get dozens of cold callers per day at the office. But then again our Sales guys do the same thing. I'd say there is a reasonable effectiveness for high cost long term products, but not for mid-range products. Sometimes the purpose of a cold call isn't even to sell a product, but instead to get some info on the organisation structure of a company

0 ( +0 / -0 )

i either just hang up, or tell them to please wait a few seconds while I turn the stove off and just leave the phone on to see how long theyll wait. my record is an NTT lady: 13 minutes!

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Cold calling doesn't just mean on the phone though. I have very little time for cold cal phone calls. Sales guys who have stopped by my office though have often gotten my business at a later date because I had their card and knew them. I'd much rather buy something from someone who has showed up at the office than g and trying and deal with a Japanese website...

1 ( +3 / -2 )

A thankless job by half, anything I don't recognize speaks to the machine, that's insists on a 50% discount.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Prehistoric! Cold calls are as effective as door-to-door sales.... c'mon, this is 2017, unless your target is pensioners, you don't take random people's time wishing they will buy your product, move on to virtual ads instead. (which I find it very effective, it might catch your eye in a glimpse especially in these ages the internet know exactly what you need. if you don't need it, just move on in 1 click).

0 ( +1 / -1 )

We have been getting lots of these calls lately, all of them offering "high speed internet" (which we already have). I'm getting more and more abrupt with them and now I just stop them, say I don't want it and put the phone down.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I eliminated this problem nearly 100% when I got rid of my land line. Completely unnecessary in this day and age. BUT, if I do still get one, which I did last week from the carrier, I'll listen to their introduction politely and then just say I'm not interested, thank them, and when it's clear they understand, hang up.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I say no thanks and quickly hang up. I can understand people just hanging up without saying anything, as well. But the caller might think they were cut off and just call back again. I feel somewhat sorry for the person with this deeply horrible job, but they are allowing themselves to be used.

So far as it being an effective sales method, I assume it is for some companies. They are not going to spend money doing it if it doesn't show returns. Running a call center can get costly.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

No not effective, Just tell them I am not interested.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I always answer the phone in English if no name is registered for the number

Me too!

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Yeah I do the same as monkey. If I don't know the number and if it isn't in my contacts, I'm not answering.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I either don't answer (99% of the time) or hang-up the INSTANT I realize that it is of no interest to me. Saves everyone's time.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Be careful nowawadays with answering calls from unknown numbers or people asking you if they can hear you etc etc.

Scammers are using voice recorders to tape your answer: "Can you hear me?" Answer "Yes" and they have taped your voice and will use it to scam you as saying "Yes" to agreeing to any number of different services that can be billed to your phone.

Watch out as well for 002 numbers in Japan too!

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

We've been called by the same bloke virtually every weekend over the last four years. He can't seem to grasp that a couple living in Kyushu really aren't interested in buying land or property in Kobe/Osaka.

I just put the phone down, but apparently that's "rude", and the wife ends up chatting for ages.

Maybe there's something going on there.... : (

7 ( +8 / -1 )

If I don't recognize the number, I don't answer.

At work, my assistant stops them - "not available. message?" If they want to sell me something, they need to catch me at a conference or trade show with a presentation that solves an issue we have OR they need to be in the top 3 providers. Then we'll call them, if we don't already have an agreement.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

These calls can be annoying, but there is no need to be rude. I politely say I already have everything I need and/or have contracts with suppliers or companies that fill my needs, e.g. when the calls are about home repair.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

They always call when I'm cooking dinner - I answer the phone, ask them to wait, as I have something on the stove, pop the phone in the top draw of telephone table and continue cooking. They never call back.

14 ( +14 / -0 )

I just hang up. If I'm trying to be a bit more polite I say 'No, thank you" and hang up. But I don't feel there's anything wrong with just hanging up. It's much better than me getting annoyed and yelling or cursing them out. But most of the time I don't have to deal with these calls because I don't answer the phone if it's an unknown number.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

I always answer the phone in English if no name is registered for the number. That usually throws them off, I say "Sorry" and hang up.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Cold callers might as well hang a giant sign over their heads saying, "I don't know how to make this product economically competitive or stand out in terms of superior function, nor do I understand how traditional advertising avenues work or how modern advertising techniques empower customers to seek out products that are right for them. Instead, I want to just bamboozle people by using social pressure to overcome my complete lack of quality product and preparedness."

In this way of thinking, making the call in the first place is already rude, so I don't owe any politeness back. If a "Not interested" isn't enough to end the call, just hang up.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Cold calling is never an effective sales method with me. If I want something, i will go looking for it myself, I don't need some salesman taking up my time trying to sell me something I didn't want in the first place. The caller is already being rude by making the call unsolicited, so I don't worry too much about being rude back. I just say No I'm not interested thanks, and hang up.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

I always think of Seinfeld's response to a sales call

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3aCL8PIOuM

4 ( +5 / -1 )

"Sorry, I am not interested", in Japanese works. In English works even better.

7 ( +9 / -2 )

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