Can't you take NO for an answer?

Bank Agent: Hello, can I have 3 minutes of your time?
Me: May I know what is it regarding?
Bank Agent: I would like to share with you a policy (blah blah blah - cannot remember the plan he mentioned)
Me: Ok 3 minutes is fine.
Bank Agent: Firstly, I would like to congratulate you. We have selected only a few Citibank customers and this policy is not even opened to the public. (Blah blah blah blah, he went on yakking for a while. NON STOP. I think he didn't even pause to breathe and hence, I can't even have the chance to say that I am not interested)
Me: (Finally found a chance to interrupt him) Excuse me. Ermm, no it's okay. I'm not interested.
Bank Agent: May I know why are you not interested? We have (continues to blabber for a while).
Me: *thinks to myself that it's 5 minutes already* (went on to refill my mechanical pencil and drank water)(He is still blabbering away).
Bank Agent: Can I have your details for verification to that I can start this policy right away?
Me: What details? I don't want any policy.
Bank Agent: It's our (blah blah blah and he starts to sell again for the next 30 seconds)
Me: Hey, I am not interested. Thank you.
Bank Agent: Why is that so? This is such a good...
Me: What the hell!? I have already said that I do not need this policy.
Bank Agent: Oh ok (slams down the phone).

Next time, I will not speak with any agents from banks or insurance companies fullstop. Not even one second. Because they are not able to gauge how long is 3 minutes and secondly, they do not understand what 'no, thanks' mean.

Comments

  1. Woa... this agent is really persistent in asking why and I think he's damn rude to slam the phone. Hello? We're still potential customers right?

    I get lots of calls from banks and insurance. Mostly about credit cards. Hence, this is what I do -->

    I always start with:

    "Is it regarding some credit cards or something?"

    Whether yes or no, whether they continue yakkng w/o pausing for breath, w/o pausing to lift their eyes off their scripts, w/o ruining their impeccably memorised sales pitch, I would interrpt with:

    "I'm sorry but I'm not interested. I don't wish to waste your time. Thank you very much for calling though. Have a nice day. Bye!"

    Most of the time they would very politely say "bye" too. Last time, I was quite rude to them and when someone slammed the phone down w/o saying "bye", I nearly wanted to call back the number to scold the rude agent but I decided it's not worth my energy and anger.

    I started changing tactic when I realised that our rejections or even our tones may affect the person on the other side of the line. What if the person was having a bad day? The least we could do as to be nice even when rejecting. And very soon I found out that this is a really good way of rejecting. In fact, i just rejected one today again.

    I've this sneaking suspicions that companies are selling our numbers to these companies. I get such calls so frequently that my colleagues got used to it.

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  2. Thanks jolene for your comment. Will follow your way the next time. ""I'm sorry but I'm not interested. I don't wish to waste your time. Thank you very much for calling though. Have a nice day. Bye!""

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  3. Ugh...i always get those man. Looks like their targets are getting steeper :)

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  4. This kind of calls, i always receive.
    My first question always to them: "How you got my number?" =)

    Some of them are really persistent, even when i told them i not interested.

    Their job, not easy, we are also not easy customers. =)

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  5. Guess there must be too many pests here these days. Sales calls from dodgy companies, getting approached by insurance agents on the road , real estate brochures etc...

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