Does cold callers asking how you are today wind you up?

[Arnie123]

Look I know I will get an absolute flaming for this but one of the aspects of running my business is business to business cold calling. Yes the pesky calls you love to hate. I spoke to a call centre manager last week who said I was not working hard enough to befriend the receptionist and I should be asking how they are today but to be honest when cold callers pull this stunt on me it sends my blood pressure up as it is totally disingenuous. Should I drop it from the script?

You should reply: I'm allrite, how's you?

TBH it doesn't matter what script you use. If you are cold calling, you are going to have the phone put down on you here.

We needed to buy a new phone so went with the B nuisance blocker as we have been plagued with 'international' calls lately. I'm hoping that cuts down on the number of unwanted calls at home. I think it's made me less tolerant of sales calls at work I'm afraid, but if someone gets to the point without the fake 'how are you today' they're much more likely to get a positive response from me.

*The BT nuisance blocker that is!

I've had someone desperate to give me financial advice leaving numerous messages which started out faux friendly but which are now getting quite offensive, implying I'm bad mannered for not calling him back. I'm almost tempted to do so, if only to point out that as I never asked him to call me it's entirely his own fault that he's wasting his time.

Our vet phoned us yesterday. This is our vet, with whom we have been registered for 8 years, who treat our current 3 cats, and have pts our other 2 very elderly cats. We have a relationship with the practice, and they had a reason to call. When I pass vet employees in the street, we smile, say hi.

When they called yesterday, they didn't waste my time, or their own, asking how I was. They got down to business. They are professional.

I expect cold callers to be no less professional, and if they're not, then I don't want to deal with them. If they can afford to waste their time asking how I am, and indulging in irrelevant chit chat, then whatever they're charging, it's too much. If the sales people they employ cannot deviate from a script, then they don't know their product well enough.

Good one Mogz. I'm fairly computer literate but went down the 'I'm old and doddery' route. I wouldn't be surprised if the person talking to me didn't go and bang their head hard against the wall several times after the call

Yes drop it from the script.

I used to work cold calling businesses offering advertising. Well I say cold calling, they all had at some point in years gone buy advertised with us.

I got a lot more sales cutting to the quick. Got through a lot more numbers in the day too by not hanging around on the phone sucking up to someone in the vague hope that they might suddenly decide to buy just because they liked me.

Dial dial dial, with a smile. Ugh...

In the past, I used to get ratty at people ringing me up, but some awful Karma moment came to me probably at the start of the recession where I thought, "but for the grace of God go we all" in other works that could be me, daisychain, sitting in that sweaty little box, trying to sell to people.

Now I swiftly clear the call but as politely as possible.

Leaving them holding on the line, while you nip off to make a cuppa and peel the spuds for dinner just isn't nice ....

The call centre manager is wrong you are right stick to your guns - you are running your own business yes? SO you make the rules.
False sincerity is a big NO.

When I'm at work if I get asked 'how are you?' they get a short 'really busy, what can I help you with?'

Mind you, they have to be talking about something really interesting to me to get past my gate keepers!