Jon Leer: Front Desk Examples

["Delaney, Misti" <ncr02!ncr02!mdelaney -at- UCS01 -dot- ATTMAIL -dot- COM>]

Jon, I wish you had included an e-mail address to send these to.  I got this
back from a friend to forward to you.

I had an example last night. I received a "cold call" from a person from
Smith Barney, selling "financial services". It was 6:40 pm, and the third
phone call during dinner. I answered. He asked for Ann Marie. I said

     "Speaking".

He said

     "I'm Frank ??? from Smith Barney. How are you this evening?"

 I responded

     "In the middle of dinner. Where did you get my name and number?"

He said

     "I have a number of clients in the Plymouth area and one of them must
have
     referred you."

I said

     "No one in this household accepts telephone solicitations for any
purpose.
     Please remove my name and number from your file, from Smith Barney's
files,
     and do not call again. If you do call, you will receive a bill for my
time, in
     accordance with Federal law."

His response was

     "Well then - send me a bill. And I'll bill you in return. My time is a
lot more
     valuable than yours ever could be."

My final response was

     "Not to me it isn't. With that attitude, I hope your company goes out
of business."

Then I hung up.

I intend to complain about his manners to the local head of the Smith Barney
office, and to tell everyone I know to avoid doing business with them. It
may just have been one overtaxed beginning broker - but his attitude that
his time is more valuable than a potential clients' is absolutely backwards.
And I am actually interested in financial planning services / investment
services. But not from rude, bad tempered fools who call me during dinner,
don't know about the laws governing their business practices, and insult me
by assuming that their time is more valuable than mine (to whom?).


My phone number is (313) 454-1554.


"The one with the primary responsibility to the individual's future is that
individual."
                              ....Dorcas Hardy

Ann Marie O'Connell   USFMCS4K -at- IBMMAIL -dot- COM
 ___________________________________
Jon Leer
Business and Technical Writer