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FIB - Scams 101
Re: Ever hear of Internetadvancement.com?
Posted By: Dennis Bevers In Response To: Re: Ever hear of Internetadvancement.com? (Jim G)
Date: Sunday, June 17, 2007, at 8:57 p.m.(pst)
>> Duly noted...duly respected.
>> This, of course, does not mean that cold calling is wrong.Accepted. It wasn't very effective for me, and with most of the phone solicitations today going to businesses, I find very little of use personally that is offered by phone.
At the same time, I get a lot of scam calls to my business. When someone blocks their number, calling me to offer me a lower rate on my (generic) credit card, I know it's not from one of the companies who has issued me a card. Not interested.
When someone calls me to ask about my home-based business, then proceeds to try and recruit me to there's, the false pretense they used to get me on the phone tells me they are getting desparate to sign up total strangers, and too cheap or poor to buy the over-used leads. Not interested.
Travel agencies calling me to offer me trips to Disney World for $99, and throwing in a free 3 night cruise - Not interested.
Someone calls me from Baton Rouge or out-of-state mentioning my membership in the local chamber - Chamber SW Louiaiana - I figure they found my online, and aren't part of my Chamber - Not interested.
>> There are
>> those who, in the past at least, have found cold calling a way to pick up
>> new business in the short run...while waiting for their networking efforts
>> to bear fruit.That's there option, but it doesn't mean when they call me, I'll place anymore value on it than I do junk mail. And the junk mail only takes 2 seconds to trash without opening it. I have to answer their call to determine they are neither a client or prospective customer. My phone is for me to conduct business. I won't be rude, until they won't accept the fact that I'm not interested. They waste much more time than the junk mail.
>> Of course, you might even agree that anyone who joins a group such as
>> CofC...Elks...Rotary...the list goes on...just to get business is barking
>> up the wrong prospect tree.Ridiculous comparison. Chambers of Commerce, Rotary, etc, exist to encourage "Local" business people working together. Which I already stated that I have 3 Chamber of Commerce memberships. The Chamber functions aren't the time for hard selling, but networking and introductions. I've gained some excellent contacts through my memberships. Getting business is part of the attraction of the memberships - Just not the appropriate venue for selling. I've actually been stopped on the way out of a meeting and given an order or an appointment to meet with someone later.
>> cold calling is a legal, ethical,and..to some.. a convenient way to
>> get business. And calling business folks on the phone is not going to
>> bring the prospecting police down on the sales person who does so.You are correct. But, it may not be as effective as some may think for reaching business customers. My 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. business hours are for conducting my business, and I can't take care of customers (or assist associates) if I'm stuck online with someone trying to solicit business or a donation.
>> It a good thing that cold calling was never something on which you had
>> to depend. But please...try not to be so demeaning of those who find it
>> necessary.If you ever get a phone call from someone in my industry trying to sell you promotional items, I'd suggest you hang up on them, unless they are local to you. My industry also has salespeople and companies who use the phones to scam businesses.
I don't buy stock from strangers calling me from California to get me to invest.
I don't buy toner or ink cartridges from companies who try selling by phone.
I don't donate to the law enforcement support organizations that solicit donations by phone.
And, I don't buy computer/internet products and services sold via telemarketing.
The offers I receive by phone raise a big Red flag, from the time I realize they want to sell me something, and they aren't local.
Just my automatic response. I lump all phone solictations together - Guilty by association, until they prove otherwise.
Sorry, but that's my opinion and choice.
Dennis Bevers
P.S. I do feel sorry for those trainees at the local car dealerships and stock brokerages who are forced to go through the phone book, cold calling as part of their training, but I buy my vehicles from dealers and sales people I already know. Those trainees aren't likely to be there next year.
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| PLEASE READ THIS LEGAL NOTICE CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU FILE A LAWSUIT OR EVEN WASTE TIME THINKING ABOUT IT. It has been done before, but never successfully. In fact, the last dodobird who tried it ended up being ordered to pay more than $77,000 in attorney fees ($65,000+ to my attorneys and $12,000+ to my co-defendant's legal advisor).
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