I was fed up until a moment ago. Bored with the lack of activity in our shop, (one of the pitfalls of locating your store and base for online sales in picturesque but mainly tourist town). Then suddenly my wife and I jumped at the sudden ringing of the telephone.
“See there is life out there”, said Barbara.
Just when we thought we were having it bad you realise there is always some poor sole out there worse off than yourself.
Yes we have just taken a call from a telesales girl.
How much training she has had is debatable but I have to say my heart sank as she began.
“What it is is”.
Auhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. A huge sigh of disappointment as I realise it’s not a customer. Not even an inquiry. Just someone who wants to sell me something.
” The Government are doing Free Grants for heating and air conditioning in your working environment and as it happens we’ve got a surveyor in your area and we was wondering if you might be interested”
Presumably somebody has been employed to write her little speech. The use of keywords like, Government to add weight to the statement and Free Grants to lull you into believing there will be no cost has not gone unnoticed. Sadly though the rest of the grammar is considerable poorer than my own, hence my superior tone. She has probably been told to use the basic script but put it in her own way giving her a sense of ownership and input into the process.
But when delivered with such commitment by someone who is probably on minimum wage and showing all the enthusiasm that can induce, to someone who’s business size and activity she neither knows or cares about, simply brings out despair at the futility of the whole process.
I guess the poor devils that find themselves stuck in such a thankless job as this must manage to convert some of their cold calls and earn enough commission to keep them going but I truly don’t know how.
It matters not what they are selling, be it double-glazing, UPVC cladding, or even rates reassessment services, they have always got a surveyor who happens to be in the area. I say again, does anybody fall for this?
Never mind. The world will continue to turn and tomorrow the sun will come up on a new day. We can only hope and pray that coupled with the good health and happiness that our family is already blessed with will come a little more of the prosperity that we all go into business for.
And to our young friend on the telephone we wish you well in your search for a fulfilling career because the one you are in now is going to get you down.
Reading this back it sounds rather patronising and pompous in places. My only defence is that it was written directly after hanging up the telephone and I’m sure many of you will have experienced the same sorts of feelings after such a call………………………or have you?