Dan Antion

I Know It’s Your Job, But – #1LinerWeds

The Rose of Sharon are all starting to bloom.

Over the course of 42 years in business, I can’t begin to estimate how many sales calls-emails-faxes I’ve received, not to mention the random people who still just show up at the front door with their, “I’m in the building visiting another client…” spiel. I get it, they are in sales and this is what they do for a living.

I am usually cordial, even though I am usually saying some form of, “we are not interested.”

Lately, it seems that some sales people are getting more aggressive and some are getting dumber. Some are going over the top and combining both traits. Last week, I had an encounter that went along these lines:

Received phone call with a CallerID I didn’t want to talk to.

I sent it to voice mail.

Received email from the same person – > “Sorry you missed my call, I have some important information for you regarding Products A and B.”

I ignored this, since we have no interest in Products A or B.

Received email from same person -> “Either I fell to the bottom of your inbox, or there is no interest in our services regarding Products A & B.”

I replied with a short “we have no interest – please remove us from your marketing list” email.

Received email from same person. “I’m not sure you understand how helpful we can be in helping you get the most from Products A and B. We are currently helping (litany of Fortune 500 companies).”

I replied with, “Why don’t you do the basic research I would expect of any potential business partner and visit our website so that you’ll understand why we have no interest. While you’re at it, stop giving people options you have no intention of honoring.”

I thought this would be the end, but no. I received an email a few minutes later, from this person’s personal email account, apologizing. He said:

“This process is what my boss makes me go through with every lead – I’m sorry to bother you.”

This post is part of Linda G. Hill’s fun weekly series One-Liner Wednesday. If you have a one-liner, I’d encourage you to join in on the fun. You can follow this link to participate and to see the one-liners from the other participants.

We’ve had a couple days of cooler temperatures, coupled with much needed rain. Some of the pictures in the gallery are from last week.

White double Rose of Sharon – these have just started to bloom.
Double Rose of Sharon – We have two that are this color, with two white ones in between.
During the heat wave, the is what the Rose of Sharon looked like during the heat of the day.
Our neighbor’s day lilies have invaded – it’s OK, we don’t mind.
Faith and I saw this while playing mini-golf. I’m not sure what it is.
Faith and I also saw these while playing mini-golf. I’m not sure what they are either.
One more – Faith and I saw this while playing mini-golf. I’m not sure what it is.
These are fun to come home to.
The rain has arrived.
During the heat wave, the CT River was pretty still
I like the reflections of the clouds in the river.
The sun isn’t rising that much earlier, but I had to go to work early this day.
Back outside in the afternoon. Maddie just went to sleep.
Baby bunny – that guy is so cute, but so small.
This is a “weed” but I really like it, so it can stay for a while.
The Rose of Sharon are all starting to bloom.
I didn’t wake her up. She’s just settling in for a nap.
Bee balm.

72 comments

  1. Oh , Man ! A & B are great ! You sure you can’t still take advantage of the offer ? Think it over and and see if they will call you back . You don’t know what you’re missing !

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Thanks Joanne. I felt bad for the guy. I thanked him for directing my frustration beyond him up the ladder. This approach just ruins the relationship. I’d much rather have the guys that say “would you mind if I check back in a year?” I get it, they are working for a living.

      Liked by 1 person

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  3. I always try hard to be polite to people who have to hustle on commission. The high pressure is an awful way to get paid and everyone hates you to boot. That being said there are only so many times you can say no before annoyance sets in.
    Sweet little bunny and lovely Rose of Sharons. They’re very similar to Hibiscus..

    Liked by 1 person

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  4. I wish I could deal with spam and telemarketing as easy as that. I had to receive hundreds of ‘final notices’ for my Chevy Impala extended warranty – it used to be annoying, but now that we don’t even own it any more…… Y*I*K*E*S* Then add in the duct cleaning, medicare supplement insurance, windows help, travel packages I’ve won, pain management, etc. I could go on but then I’d be YOUR spam!!

    Liked by 2 people

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  5. Isn’t it ironic that certain salesman target you with a product you have no interest in, but when you try to get someone to help you with a product you want to buy at a store, there’s no one around. I appreciate someone ‘helping’ me buy, but I don’t respond well to heavy handed selling practices. But, I respond very well to all those beautiful plants you have blooming right now. :-) Happy walking with Maddie in these much cooler temps. :-)

    Liked by 2 people

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    • Thanks Judy. A lot of these plants aren’t in our yard, but I liked them a lot. I have had
      the frustration of not being able to buy something I want, and I’ve had the frustration of the person helping me not wanting to let me just buy what I’ve researched and determined I want. I wish there was just a big warehouse I could walk around in – quietly.

      Liked by 1 person

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    • Thanks Laurie. I tried telephone sales once when I was in college. I lasted three days.

      The Rose of Sharon are just so pretty. The doubles look like they’re smushed together, but they are pretty.

      Liked by 1 person

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      • I have a Rose of Sharon in one of my flower beds. Unfortunately, when it drops flowers, the seeds send up hundreds of little sprouts, all of which I have to pull, or we would be drowning in Rose of Sharon bushes! They are very pretty, though!

        Liked by 1 person

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  7. Thank you for the beautiful bouquet Dan! I am ashamed to tell you we woke to 65 degrees this am. Sales people. Don’t even get me started. I once told someone on the phone I was sorry he couldn’t find a better job than harrassing people at 8 pm at night. 😏

    Liked by 1 person

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    • It’s OK, Cheryl, we’ve been in the 60s at night for the past two days – phew! I’m glad you like the flowers. They aren’t all ours, but I like them all.

      I feel bad for people working in sales, especially cold calling leads that they shouldn’t have in the first place.

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  8. Now I feel sorry for the sales guy! We check the caller ID, too, and if one of us receives a sales call (yes, voice mail is the only option), we tell everyone else ‘let it go to voice mail.’ Persistent people, they are!
    Little bunny is adorable. Your double Rose of Sharon is so pretty! We have had quite a bit of rain lately, so things got cooler–in the 80’s instead of the 90’s. I’ll take it. Have a good one, Dan.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • I know. It’s easy to feel bad for him, Lois. I was actually happy that he sent me the private email, because I stopped being angry at him. Of course, I just moved up a level.

      The little bunny is so cute. He’s is about twice as big as he was when we first spied him. He was actually shorter than the grass he was eating. We are cooler now, but it’s going back up to the upper 80s by the end of the week.

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  9. I would have continued to ignore. Sales people are a pain, but I get it that have a commission and a process to follow. I do believe the yellow flower is a Black-Eyed Susan. They look like weeds when they come up. They are easy to maintain and multiply easily. We had a bunch along the side of our fence and then a landscaping company came along and kept weed-whacking the weeds that were there. Unfortunately they were also chopping down the beginning of the Black-eyed Susan plants. We no longer have that service and so far only one has sprouted. I was so excited even though it’s shooting off the side of another plant.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Thanks for the info. I was wondering if that was what it was. I’d never seen them with spikey petals. We have some in our yard, but they have wider petals. I’m glad yours are coming.back.

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  10. Sales pitches over the phone or via email are miserable for both the salesperson trying to make a living and for those of us on the receiving end. Remember when it only came via snail mail?!

    Those double Rose of Sharon are really pretty. All the plants look good, including the weeds! 😜

    Maddie may get more deck time this week, and perhaps longer walks …. at least according to the forecast. That baby bunny is so adorable. I love to watch them in my yard, but I do wish they would “potty” somewhere else! Lol.

    Enjoy our break in the weather Dan. Summer has a long way to go yet!!
    🐾Ginger 🐾

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Thanks Ginger. We seem to be lucky. The baby bunny eats here, but poops somewhere else.

      The sales pitches are annoying. I’m trying to weed them out before turning it over to a new guy. I try to be nice, but there’s a limit. I did and up feeling bad for this guy.

      Maddie has been out in the afternoons now, but she’s still beat from the heat.

      I hope the rest of this week is good for you.

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  12. We have a no-solicitation rule here in Lakeway. There is a pest company guy who comes around. He has become famous with his pitch about “signing up neighbors and now you can have a great deal.” He is also pretty cheeky. One guy told him about the no-solicitation rule and he said, “So what are you going to do? Beat me up?” The police escorted him out of town. Great flowers, Dan

    Liked by 1 person

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  13. Lawd, I’m loving the personal e-mail message. That poor guy — can you imagine being on the 3rd go round and thinking “geez, this guy is gonna kill me” but STILL having to go through with it so you can pay your rent?? I’ll try to remember this the next time I feel like throttling a salesperson.

    Liked by 2 people

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  14. I tried sales when I was a teenager and later in my late twenties. It’s not for me, but I appreciate how hard it is to make a living being in sales.

    The flowers look gorgeous this Summer, and the river Sea Monster is looking good at his post on the river. The cloud reflections are so pretty.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • I tried sales for three days when I was in college – that did not end well. It’s amazing to see the flowers doing well, given the heat and dry conditions we’ve had. I took some at the mini golf course, but it was just as bad there.

      We had 2″ of rain Monday and Tuesday, so the sea monster might be back in the water soon.

      Thanks for the comment.

      Liked by 1 person

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  16. My personal favorite phishing call is:

    This is the social security administration. Your account has been suspended due to suspicious activity.

    Gosh, I wish that was real and I truly hope that someone is using my number to pay in.

    Liked by 1 person

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  17. The flower pics — I feel like I can smell them. :)
    As for salespeople, yes yes, here, too. I am HIGHLY entertained by those whose numbers I take, who add, “Make sure he/she calls me back!” Well for pity’s sake, one does not tell one’s boss what to do. That’s pretty much JOB 101.
    I’ve cold-called, years ago, moonlighting. My boss then, he trusted me to know when the lead warmed up. I was fortunate.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Seriously, make sure they call me back! Ha ha! How to make your boss wonder about you.

      I’m not cut out for sales. I feel bad for these guys, but when they cross a line, I can be bothered. It was funny when this guy came back. Now I feel bad for him. The flowers are liking the rain that came early this week,

      Liked by 1 person

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    • I’ll be done with the marketers in a few months, and I won’t miss it. I try to be polite, if I think it will lead to an understanding and derail future calls. Most real sale people appreciate the time and actually want to get a bad lead off the list, The ones like this guy’s boss are just nuts,

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  19. Hi Dan – oh crumbs I feel for him … if you’re employed life can be very tough, under terribly stupid bosses – glad you got an answer though – interesting … cheers Hilary

    Liked by 1 person

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  23. I use to pick those white weeds for my mother. Thanks for the fun memory. I have never seen a double Rose of Sharon, beautiful. I think the purple spikes are lupines, not sure. Mattie is precious as always. Have a marvelous week.

    Liked by 1 person

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  25. I get pesky emails from people wanting me to link to their websites, or wanting to BUY a link on my website. Sometimes I like the site and do link to them (for free–I don’t sell space on my blog!). Sometimes, not. Usually, NOT.

    Your flower photos are eye-poppers! Gorgeous!

    Liked by 1 person

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  26. I’ll start with the positive – love your flower images! Well Done:)
    Great you could make a one-liner of this, but I don’t even bother following up, because on my phone announcement I’ve included that I don’t
    need anything, and I will just delete their message.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Thanks. I have to be careful regarding these callers. Some are people who work for vendors we do have relationships with, and they’re just following-up to maintain that relationship.

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  27. After reading the guy’s personal email to you, I feel sorry for him. Beautiful flowers, especially the Rose of Sharon. Thank goodness for the rain and the end of the heat wave!

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    • They are hardy. We had to transplant one last year. It looked like it was dead. I was going to wait until cool temps in the fall to get rid of it. All of sudden in July, it started turning green. By September, it had flowers.

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  29. I get a fair number of these solicitations myself. It must be because the word “manager” is in my title, even though I manage no one but myself, and the budget is determined by the director above me (technically, the VP above him). Can’t help you, guys!

    Liked by 1 person

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    • I don’t think they care who they call these days, Paul. They email me with offers for software that is specific to hospitals, and then they leave voice mail wondering why I never got back to them. Those, I simply ignore. It’s pretty easy to determine that we’re not a hospital.

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  30. I’m back to your blog after a while, and had a look back to see where I paused and found this gem. I find it so sad, this account, personal email and all. :( So symbolic too, of what capital-ism makes people do. Luckily you couple this story with wonderful flowers. Your heat wave looks serene and beautiful, and the rain is good to see.

    I hope all is well over there, with the retirement coming soon (November, right?) and with all your pack members. Now I’ll slowly make my way back to the front. Nothing personal, you know that, just catching up, it happened to most of the blogs I follow.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Thanks for the lok back and the comment, Manja. I understand how things get away from us sometimes. I have been losing ground on reading for weeks upon weeks now. It’s no big thing, things will return to normal, soon. It’s good to know you’re still there and I hope all is going well.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

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