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Can You Love a Telemarketer….???
July 7th, 2007 categories: Charlotte Area News, Off-the-Wall, Real Estate News
Oh man…does any profession catch more flak than telemarketers? This is another of my “off-the-wall” installments on something that doesn’t directly relate to real estate issues, but it is something that I found very interesting.
This week, I was having one of those sucky weeks. Weather was hot, customers were difficult, and to top it off my car was in the shop with a significant repair bill about to be handed to me. My office phone rings, and I quickly answer it as I was expecting a call from my wife. Not my wife, but instead a pleasant but slightly nervous voice asks “can I speak to Mr. Miller, please..?” Realizing quickly it is a telemarketer (yes I’m on the DNC list), my blood pressure increases dramatically and I quickly adopt my short, border-line-rude tone. Largely in part because I’m also in sales, I have a hard time just hanging up on anyone trying to make a sale. I tell her that I’m “Mr. Miller..” She says “…is this Mr. Brian Miller…?” “yes…” I mumble… I’m in the middle of something so I’m about to hang up…
This woman then says “well Mr. Miller…this is Tami Jackson (not her real name).. I’m with the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Charlotte…” I said okay, my blood pressure cooling a little.. She then sort of hesitates, repeats her name again. I know she is either new to this or nervous or both, so I’m trying to be patient.
She then starts her script and asks if I can help in one of the pledges. I say yes. (I’m sort of a soft touch for these sort of things). This is where it got interesting. As soon as I say yes, I’d be willing to donate, she exclaims “oh..Mr. Miller..thank you so much. You just pulled me back up..” The first thought in my head was this was part of what they were supposed to say. I agree to pledge the smallest donation, and she repeats the comment of “pulling her back up”.
I’m not sure what she means until she then tells me a quick story. She said on the call before me when she had stated her name, the guy on the line said “well, Ms. Tami Jackson, you can just kiss my ***” and then slammed down the phone. She asked me why did he have to say that…why couldn’t he just say he is not interested and hang up. She told me she ran to the restroom to pray for this person. 
She continued to thank me for what was essentially encouraging her, and re-motivating her. This certainly wasn’t my intent…I mean I was rude and short initially. After we hung up, I stopped to consider what had just happened.
A few reminders surfaced for me –
- Our spoken words have tremendous power. The guy before me had gotten to her with his harsh words.
- My words had the opposite effect, yet, they were not intended that way. In addition, I wonder if this woman was a volunteer?
For me, I prefer to go through life with kind words and actions. It doesn’t matter if I’m helping someone find a home or stopping at the local coffee shop, the older I get, the more convinced I become that it is not worth seeking a feeling of superiority. Sometimes, though, I admit it just means biting my tongue and not saying what I feel. Thing is, though, there are a lot of people who will tell me I wasted too much time speaking with a person, and I should have “politely” hung up. Yes, I “lost some time” in that interaction, and it interupted my current train of thought, but then again, I feel it was an interruption that was more than justified… How do you handle this sort of thing?
July 8th, 2007 at 11:41 am
What a great reminder that our words can build people up just as easily as tear them down. I prefer having someone remember me as an encourager. Consider me added as a subscriber!
July 8th, 2007 at 2:43 pm
Well said Brian.
Our words can have a huge impact on others. Encouragement and support, kindness and compassion are gifts that cost the giver almost nothing, yet can be so significant to the recipient. Why take a chance? Be nice.
July 9th, 2007 at 7:59 am
Hey Jennifer, Marc - thanks for the comments. Jennifer, I’m also a subscriber to your site..
July 11th, 2007 at 6:22 pm
You are living the Golden Rule. Keep at it! Nice breeds nice. And, you never know if she may become a client of yours??
July 13th, 2007 at 3:31 pm
Great article, keep up the good work. The pictures are a nice touch too!
July 17th, 2007 at 5:33 pm
If I were prone to giving gold stars for a post, I’d give you one. We all get busy and forget that other people are just as real as we are. That’s a shame. Thanks for the reminder.
October 4th, 2007 at 7:20 pm
Great story Brian. Sometimes we all need to take a step back from our busy lives and look at how we act and treat others.