10 Confessions Of A Telemarketing Insider
Out of the shadows steps a dark figure, sporting wrinkled khakis, a retractable namebadge, and a headset dangling from his ear. It's the telermarketing insider, and he's going to confess to you how his industry really works and how you can resist and even fight back:
From Reddit, spotted by Wisebread:
"I've worked at a few different telemarketing centers over the past couple years, and I've gained quite a bit of knowledge about the industry, and more importantly, how to resist the industry.
First of all, if you have no knowledge of telemarketing, I'd say that 90% of telemarketing calls come from centers, not the business itself. I have no way to test that statistic, but seeing as the centers I worked for were part of corporations that took clients like Bank of America, Westinghouse, EA Games, Siemens, etc and had centers all over the world, only the small fry do it themselves.
These days telemarketing reps are mostly pawns. Most of them only know enough about the product or service they're selling to read you a script and rebuttal some simple questions you might have. They don't pick their number. Most centers run on an auto-dialer that recycles lists of numbers monthly.
Here's a couple quick tips:
10. Don't immediately hang up when you find out it's a telemarketer!
So many people do this, and you know what the reps do? They mark it as an early hang-up and since no pitch was made, you're put right back on the list to be called again.
9. Don't get pissed off at the rep.
I've seen many reps purposefully put customers that request not to be called back on the calling list for as soon as 10 minutes later if they're obnoxiously rude or ignorant.
8. If you don't want the product, don't just decline.
Most people that aren't interested in the product are put back on the lists until they request not to be called anymore. Politely declining the offer will just get you another call in the future. (I know that myself and other reps have put polite people on our do not call lists even if they didn't request it. We could get fired for this, but some people are too nice for me to want to bug again, and the chances of getting caught are slim.)
7. Don't try to trick the rep
Saying you aren't there even when you are, claiming not to speak english, and other "tricks" I've seen people recommend are really counter-productive, as most of the time you get put back on the list (and if you claim you speak spanish, you'll be put on a list to have a spanish speaking rep call you.)
6. Try not to get mad when a rep rebuttals a refusal
At many jobs I've head in the field, reps only get fired because of a couple reasons. Swearing on the phone, attendence issues, or not rebutting a customer. We are required to give one rebuttal every call. When we've received 2 no's, we can disconnect the call. If you're getting multiple rebuttals in a call, it's probably a less than respectable call center, rep, or product and it's best to ask for a supervisor to escalate your do not call request.
5. If you are on the National DNC list
You can still get telemarketing calls! If you have a business-client relationship (say a bank of america checking account) bank of america can call you about products and services. You can also still receive political and non-profit calls (my favorite to make. You simply poll people for information, no pressure to sell anything.)
So when you get a telemarketing call on behalf of a company and asked to be put on their do-no-call list (a method that only works for respectible call centers), you'll be put on that client's do-not-call list. This means that you won't get any calls on any offers from that client. However, since most call centers have anywhere from 5-20 different clients at once, you're most likely still in the system for at least one of those other lists.
A better way to deal with that is to speak to a supervisor, ask them what call center they're calling from, and request to be put on the call center's do not call list. This disables the call center from calling you.
Another trick to be put on call lists faster is to threaten legal action against the client company if the calls don't cease. Most centers will require the rep to fill out a form with information about the call. This information gets sent up the ladder, and most of the time gets dealt with within 2-3 business days (as opposed to 30). You don't have to be a dick about this though. You can simply state "I will be taking my business elsewhere" or "if these calls continue I'm going to have no choice but to contacting the FTC, please escalate my case."
4. TCPA
This is very important, and everyone who hates telemarketing calls should be aware of this. At my first couple telemarketing jobs, I had no idea about the TCPA (telephone consumer protection act.) My first job I did inbound tech support, so since people were calling us, I didn't have to deal with it.
My second job was a sketchy-as-fuck call center. They actually eventually got investigated for fraud by the FBI. Some of the things they had us do which I later learned were illegal:
ask for another member of the house that might be interested in the product
call cell phones
rebuttal until the customer hung up
capture credit information with a pen and paper (not illegal, but still not cool)
call times zones at inappropriate times
That call center sold infomercial products, and I learned a couple things there.
3. Don't buy from infomercials
sure some might be legit, but it's hard to judge. We used simple circle talking techniques to trick people into buying our product. In the infomercial it was $120. We had a list of people that called the number from the infomercial but didn't buy the product. We called them back and offered the same product for $45. Then if they refused we'd go down to $35 and eventually $25 as a last resort effort. They were willing to sell this product for $25, and people were buying it for over 4 times that much! (employees got the product for $5)
We also had "add-ons" that we were given cash each day for each one we sold. They were stupid things like redeemable gift cards and gas cards for $1. These sound too good to be true and they are. The trial period before you get charged 20-30 a month for the program ends after 14 days, and 90% of the time the information didn't reach the customer for almost a month.
This means a couple things. First of all, if the customer didn't write down the number we provided once in the call to cancel, or lost the number, they're gonna get charged for a full month of the service. Second of all, most the rebates and cards had so many hoops to jump through that the offers were expired by the time everything was done.
2. Your Legal Rights (and how to use them)
According to TCPA, telemarketers cannot:
call before 8am or after 9pm
call your cell phone
hide who they are or who they're calling on behalf of
call you if you're on the national do not call list
call with a pre-recorded message (unless it contains the information below)
in addition, within the first 4 seconds of a call, the rep must reveal who they are, where they're calling from, and who they're calling on behalf of.
If a telemarketer breaks any of these rules, you can sue them!
Just look around the internet, a bunch of people have gotten settlements out of court as well as filed their own small claims. The fine is $500, so it's more of a slap in the face to the telemarketing companies than it is a legitimate way to hurt their business.
1. No Rebuttal and Permission to Continue States
Some states have laws that require the rep ask your permission to continue and some states have laws to terminate the call after your first refusal. Does this work? Sometimes. Most of the time a rep is using a flex script, which cuts out some junk talk to make the sale easier. If the rep is being monitored by a client company, they'll read verbatim and follow each law to a tea. If you live in a no-rebuttal state or permission to continue state, know about it! It's another tool you can use to get them off your back.
list of states and their telemarketing laws
What to do with this information
weed out bad call centers from good ones. Some of them (like the bank of america call center) offer services that really are valuable to the customer and won't rip them off. For example, since the call is on behalf of bank of america, and they already have your personal data, the rep never has access to it. All the rep does is confirm you are who you say you are, and records your authorization to have your bank account billed for the service.
Also remember that if you're making trouble for reps, you may be getting someone fired. They get minimum wage, and are forced to try to sell to customers all day even if they don't want to. I've seen reps fired because they were on the phone too long with someone playing a prank on them. In some areas, the only available jobs in a 40 mile radius are call centers and fast food, keep that in mind before you heckle someone.
If anyone has any additional questions, I'll do my best to answer. I can answer some questions about the inbound (tech support) side of telemarketing, but it's not that interesting in my opinion.
edit
Seems a lot of people don't get the point of this list. I'll try to sum some things up that were repeated a lot in the comments.
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The people that get so many different marketing calls that it becomes a nuisance and want them all to stop.
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If you're getting called by a center that is abusing TCPA laws, sue them! this comment spells out how you're able to do that better than I did.
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Edit 2: this link will point you towards some sites that easily spell out how to sue a telemarketer breaking the TCPA. If you don't want to get the calls anymore, this is the most effective way of ensuring that center never calls you again (while netting $500 for you)"
IAmA Telemarketer who wants to save you from me (advice inside) [Reddit via Wisebread]
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Comments:
Suing might be an option in theory, but how do you get contact information to be able to do it? I once asked a telemarketer (who said he was calling about my credit card) for the number to get off their list and he gave me a phone sex line number.
I called and asked for donations from alumni for my school. It was a great way to connect with people and see how my school helped them, but at the same time, I'll totally agree with every confession on here.
I would have people yell at me as soon as I finished my pitch. This was usually because they were eating dinner or watching the news. I can totally understand why you don't want to be bothered, but first off, don't answer you phone if you don't want to be bothered, and second off, yelling at me will only result in me putting you as a non-personal callback 5 minutes later.
One guy did this to everyone who was working that night and he was called 10 different times because a) he never asked to be not be called again and b) he would yell at every person he called.
Also, it drove me nuts when I would state who I was and they would lie that so and so wasn't available at the time, even though the kid graduated 2 years ago and you were obviously calling a cell phone because the area code was different then the area they lived. A callback would only lead to the voicemail confirming this.
Telemarketers might be considered scum, but I did it to pay the bills. I was working and going to school and to have some dick treat me like I was the piece of gum he stepped on would only result in me trying to make him feel just as miserable.
A simple "sorry, i'm not interested, please take me off the list. good luck though with your cause" is all it takes to get off the list forever and ever. I would go above and beyond for these types and 99% of the time, remove their numbers so they didn't get called if the people who managed the lists failed to remove the number.
Switching from stodgy old Verizon to swanky new Ooma has solved all my telemarketing problems. Not only am I served by my own personal blacklist but they have a universal blacklist as well. I haven't received a telemarketing call of any type since I switched in August- and we just went through an election season!
I couldn't recommend Ooma enough.
I agree with the infomercials thing. Wait two weeks and buy it at Target in the As Seen on TV section...you'll save the shipping charges AND avoid being signed up for a monthly supply of Enzyte.
@oblivious87: My university is guilty of calling many, many times. I sympathize with the people calling because they're generally all college students put there by their student work program, so they don't deserve the abuse just because they need to pay for college. I did get three calls in one day, however, and I was very firm on them not calling me again. I didn't yell or anything - all you really need is to be firm.
"Out of the shadows steps a dark figure, sporting wrinkled khakis"
Chino pants/trousers, or simply chinos, are a type of lightweight cotton trousers made from chino cloth in a twill weave. Though they are sometimes confused with khakis, as they are usually khaki in color.
Now that my pet peeve is out of the way.
1.Don't immediately hang up
2.Don't get pissed off at the rep
3.If you don't want the product, don't just decline.
4.Try not to get mad when a rep rebuttals a refusal
I find my life goes much smoother when I do the opposite of the four things listed above.
As for no Rebuttal and Permission to Continue, I have never had had any telemarketer ask permission to continue, they just ignore the I'm not interested and continue with their spiel. In that situation I just continue to do the opposite of the four things listed above.
I'm wondering about the defensive edits at the bottom of the post, since they were there when there were only two comments posted (neither of which would have prompted those edits).
In any case ... When I've asked a telemarketer for a supervisor, they've hung up on me. Every single time.
Also, I hate the whole "try not to get mad when a rep rebuts a refusal because they're required to rebut several times" advice. And that shouldn't piss us off because why exactly?
Anything I can do to get people to stop calling me and asking for Ashley because she signed up for some "business opportunity?" I've told them I'm not her and no I am not interested in this "opportunity" and please take me off this list and do not call again. I keep getting calls, but not nearly as often.
I had a few friends who worked at a call center in our college town. It was hell on earth with horrible turnover. One of my favorite stories was when a friend called a guy who was watching a porno and the guy started describing the porn or something.
@oblivious87: "yelling at me will only result in me putting you as a non-personal callback 5 minutes later." Come on, are you really defending your behavior there?
I love how telemarketers get this sense of righteousness that allows them to harass people who never asked to interact with them in the first place.
It is bad enough even when you have a legit reason to call people. I worked in an in bound call center, but occasionally we would set up appointments to contact customers to ensure an issue was resolved or to gather more information.
Sometimes, you'd get someone completely unfamiliar with the callers problem and they'd think it was telemarketing and hang up. That always made me sad because "technically" I was supposed to mark off that I tried to contact the customer back, but they'd inevitably call in wondering why I didn't call.
@lalaland13: A lot of telemarketers get their information from contest or sweepstakes entries. If someone else put your phone number on one of those forms, it could explain why you are getting calls for someone you are not.
@oblivious87: "don't answer you phone if you don't want to be bothered" My phone ringing bothers me. My phone ringing from the same number repeatedly for 6 months straight REALLY bothers me. It feels like a minor invasion of my personal space, no different than a solicitor knocking on my door.
@repete7: A great resource is to google the company and/or the phone number that was calling you (if it came up on the call ID) oftentimes you'll find reports from other people that have been contacted by that number and usually someone has done the sleuthing and figured out what company is behind it.
"how you can resist and even fight back". What does this mean? It means that us American's have to quit feeling guilty saying "no", and move on. There is no fighting back. Just say no or hang up. Good grief it's a phone call and if they call again don't answer it. It's a business call and my business strategy is to say no. period. Done.
@curmudgeon5: The OP is basically saying "don't get upset with us for doing our job". It'd be like a cashier not wanting you to get upset because he or she has to pitch the store credit card to you.
I have no pity for those that say telemarketing is the only job available to them. If nobody would take those jobs maybe telemarketing would stop. I don't think that would be a bad thing. I would support a law in a second that would eliminate telemarketing altogether including those that have business relationships with you, charities, and political calls. Telemarketing is someone using my paid resource (my phone) in a way I don't want them to with no benefit to me. There should be an easy way to stop it completely. At least not for those that don't want it. It's already not allowed for cell phones. Why can't we have that for land lines too?
My worst nightmare was AT&T calling to collect a bill from the person who had my number before me.
Finally, I just gave up and sent in my identifaction so they would just stop calling me.
@Blueskylaw: "They mark it as an early hang-up and since no pitch was made, you're put right back on the list to be called again." Yeah the lack of common sense in that logic astounds me.
If someone is hanging up on you as soon as you tell them who you are and why you are calling, that's probably a pretty clear sign that the person doesn't want to talk to you. Hang ups should be an automatic removal from the list IMO.
The only one on the list I don't go against usually is to get pissy at the rep, usually because I hang up before I have the chance to get upset.
@repete7: This is the real problem. You can't get the info on who and where they actually are. So suing is a long shot.
All the more reason not to have a landline. Me and my wife have been cell phone only for well over 6 years with almost none of these. There have been a few and I will make sure to promptly let them know they are violating the law if they call again :)
@curmudgeon5: Actually, as far as graduating from a university and getting calls, often times, you consent to them calling and asking for financial donations.
Its easy to get off the lists and doesn't take more then 5 minutes of your time. I'm not defending myself anymore then stating its a truth.
I don't want to be calling you anymore then you want me calling you. I had people threaten to sue me, kill me, and make a professor fail me. These are alumni from a top engineering school. I'm sorry if I don't give a shit when you want to yell at me and hang up because in the end, if you didn't actually refuse, I have to put you back on the list.
"and are forced to try to sell to customers all day even if they don't want to" - These kind of statement piss me off. A person ALWAYS has a choice, though they may not like the options available to them. Playing it off in this way does not excuse the actions of the individual.
"...if you're making trouble for reps, you may be getting someone fired."
I read this as "make as much trouble as possible for the reps, because f*** them for taking such an evil job anyway, and they deserve to end up homeless and living under a rusty railway bridge."
Thanks for the tip!
In practice most of that doesn't work. Both our cell and landlines are on the DNC list and your not supposed to telemarket to cell phones but they still do.
1)If it is a telemarketer that has their number show up in the caller ID. Flag it for next time and don't answer it. On my cell I put them as "telemarketer" or something and set the ringer to silent. On our landline if we get a known telemarketer we have button that stops the ringer for that call.
2) If you start talking to them you won't get a chance to ask to be taken off. Most just keep talking right over you. This is why we started doing what is in #1.
Problem solved and far less of your time wasted. None of us owe these telemarketers anything. Your not obligated to talk to them or listen to their pitch.
They need to just federally ban all telemarketing. I doubt the world would shed a tear if they did.
@morganlh85: I swear, Bed Bath & Beyond is THE "buy infomercial stuff here" store. If you've seen it in a commercial that featured the Snuggie/Crosslight Cutter lady or Billy Mays shouting - they have it.
Also remember that if you're making trouble for reps, you may be getting someone fired. They get minimum wage, and are forced to try to sell to customers all day even if they don't want to. I've seen reps fired because they were on the phone too long with someone playing a prank on them. In some areas, the only available jobs in a 40 mile radius are call centers and fast food, keep that in mind before you heckle someone.
Wah wah wah. Go get your GED.
@GyroMight: I call this "always giving out my landline number but never, ever answering it."
Also, I enter numbers that call as telemarketers into my cell as "Z Douche" (so they sort to the bottom of the alpha list) and set them to a silent ring. Last time we discussed this people had funny names for these; I think my favorite was "Satan."
@itrek: Hey, I took a call center job because I had to because they hired anything that breathed and I had just gotten laid off. It paid more than unemployment. I didn't like it, but its a living for hundreds of thousands of people.
@repete7: Even if you can't get the number, you can report as much information as you have to your state AG. Mine will hunt down and sue companies that harass enough state residents.
I wish there was some way to block calls from political causes and charities. I'm generous, and donate to various causes, but that seems to imply an "opt-in" to future contact. What I'd really like is if they assume "opt-out" and seek my permission to contact me again. It's gotten so bad, both in terms of calls AND email solicitations, that I've scaled my political donations way back.
@oldgraygeek: Yes, because we should punish them for finding work and sticking with such a shitty job. Its people like you that make that job more miserable.
You're right about getting pissy at the rep, I usually hang up before I get too upset, although sometimes when I'm in a playful mood I like to see just how much the rep on the line can take before he/she calls it quits.
When pressure tactics, no means yes and forced phone conversations are part of your sales tactics, you should consider a different business model or leave the industry altogether.
@oblivious87: "One guy did this to everyone who was working that night and he was called 10 different times because a) he never asked to be not be called again and b) he would yell at every person he called."
WOW, that is an AWESOME way to ensure I never, ever, ever donate to my alma mater ever again. I sure hope the school is monitoring student reps who are damaging their fundraising capabilities that way!
@dragonfire81: That makes sense, but on the other hand, if you knowingly take a job that is famous for revolving around annoying and harassing people, you're sort of signing up for people to be getting angry with you. I mean, if someone paid me to walk around tripping people, I'd still be a bit at fault even though I was just the employee.
@lalaland13: Report to the state AG. Once I even got a check in settlement for like $50 for a place that called me repeatedly and wouldn't take me off the list.
My state AG has an easy form you can fill out online or print and mail.
@curmudgeon5: "And that shouldn't piss us off because why exactly?"
Well
1) They're just doing their shitty, shitty, jobs. While you have every right to be pissed off it may be worth it to consider that they don't want to be asking you any more than you want to hear it.
2) As the OP mentions several times, if you treat them like shit they're much more likely to put you on the call back list. Freak out on them as much as you want, just know that the frequency of calls is likely to increase not decrease.
"Don't immediately hang up when you find out it's a telemarketer!"
I'll never forget the time I immediately hung up on a telemarketer. He immediately called me back and hung up on me. It was hilarious.
Now I keep them on the line as long as I can without saying anything of substance. It's the least I can do.
@oblivious87: @oblivious87: @oblivious87: If I had my way about it, telemarketing would be banned, period. It's invasive, the person did not ask to have you contact them, and for some (my elderly mom who has rheumatic arthritis which makes it very difficult for her to run to the phone whenever it rings, but who won't ignore a ringing phone springs to mind) it's more than just a minor inconvenience. I make it a point that I will NEVER do business with any entity who engages in the practice; and your attitude makes me feel the more justified in that. Sorry if I don't give a s*** that you don't care for that, but maybe you should give a little more thought to just who it might be on the other end that you're pestering with your calls and callbacks.
@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): If the guy hasn't donated in his lifetime, the odds are good he won't, so it didn't hurt anyone. When he refuses to take the time to say "please take me off the list" like every other never-giver, he's going to get called back until he either refuses or asks to be taken off the list.
Some lists are shorter then others. If we're calling the "never-givers of the class of 1967" the odds are good, the list will be short and this will happen, OVER AND OVER AND OVER again...
@oblivious87: I answer the phone because a loved one may be in an emergency situation. Caller ID doesn't always show their number, so I always answer the phone.
Sorry, I don't put you on the same pedestal as my family. You can get off of your pompous and righteous high horse.
Its amazing how imbecilic people such as yourself have no clue as to why someone would be pissed off at a frivolous phone call during dinner time. Get a clue.
This list contains a lot of great advice, if you want to spend more time dealing with telemarketers than you ought. I'm not going to stop immediately hanging up on telemarketers unless they start actually harassing me (multiple calls in a week).
@mizike: Yes, but ...
The companies that put these sorts of harassments in place rely on the fact that we have too much human feeling towards the representative in question to be rude about it and that we'll feel guilt because they'll get FIRED if we let our annoyance show. I'm not into being rude or getting people fired, but that shit's still not okay.
This is very frustrating for me. A telemarketing group has been calling me for four years on behalf of Rogers and asking for someone who is not me. When I explain:
1. This is not their number
2. This is a cell phone
3. This is a Bell phone
4. I am on the DNC list
5. I have not done business with them in the past six months
6. Stop calling me
They promise they've put me on their do not call list and then call me a week later. If I don't pick up they'll call nearly every hour until I do pick up. I've even called them myself and added myself to their own Do Not Call list. I've reported them but nothing has happened and they still call. I just want them to leave me alone.
@oblivious87: You seem to be more focused on the polices of the telemarketer instead of what the whole goal actually is. The goal is to raise money and maintain good relations with alumni, right? And you're contributing to that how, exactly?
@oblivious87: So what you're telling me is, acting like a jackass is okay as long as there are no consequences to you?
I have a service called "Privacy Manager", basically any call from an unresolvable number gets picked up first by this service, and a recorded message asks them to give their name. If they continue (and give their name) it rings my phone, plays back the name for me, and prompts me to accept or decline the call. If I decline, it plays them a recorded "take my name off your list" message. Most telemarketers don't get that far - they don't want to give their name because they know I'll just decline it, so they hang up. Problem solved.
@curmudgeon5: Yep, seriously. If you call me and I don't want you to call, I'm going to give you hell and you deserve it. Get a real job and stop bothering me!
It is too bad Firefox can't invent a cell phone land line cold calling pop up blocker for cell and land line phones.