If your job entails hours and hours of sitting on the telephone, talking to absolute strangers all day long then you may agree with the following 2 telemarketing monsters I dread.

 

1. Accents – it is remarkable how many different ways there are to speak the simple English language. This is especially true for all the folks living in the somewhat much divided ‘United’ Kingdom.  It seems that every couple of miles is guaranteed to have a different way of pronouncing exactly the same words. Certainly every main city can lay claim to its own particular pronunciation. Standing in front of someone has the added advantage of being able to lip read any rather odd sounds emanating from their lips – but when on the telephone no such luxury exists.  Although most folk may be reasonably obliging ’if at first you don’t understand’ there are always those that react almost insanely aggressively to the request to repeat themselves.  Asking for clarification is an essential tool of a successful telemarketer.  Not all people are wise enough to recognise this though.  Fortunately these inconsiderate ‘monsters’ usually make such an inaudible noise that most of their insults I cannot understand anyway, and I am therefore protected from being deeply hurt by their outrageous insensitivity. I beg of you to have mercy on those wonderful people who dedicate their long days to trying to communicate telephonically.  If you are someone with a strong accent. Please speak slowly and be as patient as possible.  Life is really too short to stress ourselves out with that which need not be so.

 

2. Difficult personalities – no matter how polite and appropriate your approach may be when speaking to someone on the phone it is worth noting that some characters are just obnoxious and rude by nature.  Chances are they were brats as toddlers, naughty as children, and always in trouble as teenagers.  Inevitably they are destined to be really difficult to communicate with as adults.  It is just the way they are.  Maybe they know it but don’t know what to do about it – who knows.  Whatever their issues it is worth trying to put all this into perspective when dealing with a rather unbearable soul on the other end of the phone.  It helps me not to take their reaction to my call personally.  I always remind myself that when an unpleasant situation occurs during a conversation with one of these ‘monsters’ it is not about me – it is about them. I end the conversation as politely as possible and then ‘cut them off’ from my mind.  I dial another number and start afresh.

So if like me you work for an excellent  telemarketing company, then you too may find the above monsters really scary.  You never know when they are going to leap out of the phone and destroy your simple attempt at appointment setting, or product promotion or any other innocent offer you may be making – as if appointment making is that serious anyway.  Remember these monsters lie in wait and seem to appear when least expected.  So always be on your guard and ready to defend your noble position.