posted
GRRR.....Why do people constantly ignore my "NO SOLICITORS" sign? (well actually, it says "If you are not a friend, client, or family....why are you here?")
Friday I was painting in the garage while visiting with my sister. I had paint on my hands and was in the midst of a color change when a fancy SUV pulls up. Two well-dressed, tanned, polyester-clad, made-up women wearing heels picked their way across my gravel driveway to me.
I immediately knew they were not customers. One was toting a Yellow Book much like a schoolgirl would carry a binder. She looked somewhat like Joan Crawford. The other looked a bit like Janis Joplin but with a fancy hairdo.
Before they could start their schpiel I told them I was not interested. Joan Crawford continued. I told them I once had an ad in the YP, and only got price-shoppers beating me down about magnetics. Joan continued. I told them 99% of my business is word-of-mouth and I like it that way. Janis began to squirm, but Joan plodded onward.
In no time, yet in slow motion, as my paint dried on my brush, Joan blathered on about this and that, trying to show me her "start-up package that was ONLY $30 a month" I said, "I am NOT interested. I will NEVER buy an ad from you. I need to get back to work!"
At this point my sister interrupted Joan. She said "How about you pay her for the hour of her time you just wasted? She IS NOT INTERESTED!" Immediately Joan snapped the book shut and stormed off to her SUV as best as she could. Janis tossed me an apologetic look as she followed Joan.
I need to A: Grow some testes, B: Learn to emulate my sister, C: Paint a fierce NO SOLICITORS sign.
Thanks for the rant. I feel better now. Love....Jill
Posts: 8834 | From: Butler, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2001
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SONGPAINTER Original Sign Music by Sign People NOW AVAILABLE on CD and the proceeds go to Letterville's favorite charity! Click Here for Sound Clips! Posts: 1974 | From: Orleans, MA, Cape Cod, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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-------------------- Dave Grundy retired in Chelem,Yucatan,Mexico/Hensall,Ontario,Canada 1-519-262-3651 Canada 011-52-1-999-102-2923 Mexico cell 1-226-785-8957 Canada/Mexico home
posted
Jill, I LOVE your No Solicitors wording...yup, I feel the same way. Some poor schlub had the unfortunate luck of ringing my doorbell at 8:30pm the other night to try and sell me something. I went off on him and slammed the door. I don't care if you're selling the fountain of youth (for real) DO NOT bother me at home. A friend of mine had a great sign near his doorbell that said something like, if you haven't called first or I don't know you're coming don't even think about ringing the bell or knocking on the door.
I also NEVER answer the phone if I don't know who it is.
-------------------- Kimberly Zanetti Purcell www.amethystProductivity.com Folsom, CA email: Kimberly@AmethystProductivity.com
“Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.” AA Milne Posts: 3722 | From: Folsom, CA | Registered: Dec 2001
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posted
HEHE.. These ppl are trainend to ignore your no thank you's. They know nothing other than make the sale. The only thing that works is pure unadulterated rudeness.
Since you cannot walk away from your sales counter you can.. Use tactics they understand such as::: Shun thier very existance, make beleive they are invisible, walk away and close the door, or just plain say "GET THE HELL OUT"!.
You don't have to worry about them feeling insulted, jilted or all anti touchy feely. They see you as a person who simply does not understand the value of their book. They feel sorry for you. They feel so sorry that they have enough for you to share so you dont have to feel sorry and ashamed for being rude.
hehe..
-------------------- Leaper of Tall buildings.. If you find my posts divisive or otherwise snarky please ignore them. If you do not know how then PM me about it and I will demonstrate. Posts: 5273 | From: Im a nowhere man | Registered: Jul 2001
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Back when I was building what is now my shop, there was a difficluty in raising one of the gable ends of the building. In the midst of the chaos, with me balancing atop a wall and my wife and her brother wrestling with support beams, a couple of Jehovah's Witnesses came into the driveway and were intent on doing "the pitch".
After about 15 minutes of this ludicracy, I jumped down from the 8' height and told them they could either lend a hand and be helpful to people in need, or have what's left of them when I get done venting be arrested for tresspassing.
16 years and not one knock on the door since.
In most cases I am very polite, but there are times when you run into people who don't speak the same language as the rest of us and just can't take a hint. It saves a lot of time to be bilingual an speak fluent "buzz off". Rapid
-------------------- Ray Rheaume Rapidfire Design 543 Brushwood Road North Haverhill, NH 03774 rapidfiredesign@hotmail.com 603-787-6803
I like my paint shaken, not stirred. Posts: 5648 | From: North Haverhill, New Hampshire | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
Heheh; I like idea of paint on hands and after a drippy, multi-colored handshake, I'd grab up their little yellow book and thumb thru it, making sure I left some paint on every page in it, then hand it back, say sorry, and return to work, totally ignoring them from that point on...
-------------------- Frank Magoo, Magoo's-Las Vegas; fmagoo@netzero.com "the only easy day was yesterday" Posts: 2365 | From: Las Vegas, Nv. | Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
_________________________________________________ Why do people constantly ignore my "NO SOLICITORS" sign? (well actually, it says "If you are not a friend, client, or family....why are you here?" _________________________________________________
There ya are with the 'hints' again . . . . . . .
We all know full well there are some people who think politely joking 'hints' are simply jokes . . . Simply add 'No soliciters' to the end of that hint just for the too-serious, tunnel-vision-obssessed people like Joan.
You could even add another thought to your NO SOLICITERS sign, along with a pic of Uncle Sam pointing angrily:
" I DON'T need you! Soliciters who ignore a 'NO soliciters' sign usually don't listen and have a very annoying, persistent personality and therefore suck at 'selling' - This means YOU. (the small print> Find another career better suited to your personality. Good luck."
-------------------- Signs Sweet Home Alabama
oneshot on chat
"Look like a girl, act like a lady, think like a man, work like a dog" Posts: 5758 | From: "Sweet Home" Alabama | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
Kind of reminds me of a no trespassing sign with a sneaker attached. It said that this was all that was left of the last trespasser.
-------------------- Bill Riedel Riedel Sign Co., Inc. 15 Warren Street Little Ferry, N.J. 07643 billsr@riedelsignco.com Posts: 2953 | From: Little Ferry, New Jersey, USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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posted
I like the idea or turning it around on them....offer to letter their vehicle!
quote: Or turn the tables on them and insist that painting a YB ad on their SUV is far more effective advertising than an ad in their book.
... and be just a persistant as they are. Give them a taste of their own medicine and watch them RUN for their car!
-------------------- Jane Diaz Diaz Sign Art 628 W. Lincoln Ave. Pontiac, Il. 61764 815-844-7024 www.diazsignart.com Posts: 4102 | From: Pontiac, IL USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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posted
Hey Jill I just got a class action lawsuit notice in the mail I can join in against Yellow Book. Didn't really read the thing 'cept for the part where I get $$ in the end. I advertised with them for 2 yrs - at best - the ad just paid for itself.
-------------------- signs Posts: 535 | From: pa | Registered: Dec 1998
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posted
Maybe at the Jamboree we can all make "No Soliciting" signs for Jill! Wonder if the Yellow Book gals would've still come in if they saw 30 or so signs telling them to go away.
-------------------- signs Posts: 535 | From: pa | Registered: Dec 1998
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A couple years back some fool from Yellow Pages came in with what he thought was the greatest sales pitch since eve and the apple.
"This year for the same cost as last year you can have your add in two adjoining towns and get two or three times more coverage"
I laughed and asked him if he really thought that was a good deal? When he asked what I meant by that I told him what he just told me was that all the sign buisness' in those adjoining towns were now competing in my area.
His reply? "I never thought of that"
MY reply? "Exactly...we don't need Yellow Pages to add competition to our area...and I downsized our ad"
They haven't been back...however since we moved to our new shop (3 years back)we keep a minimal add so our current customers have a source for reference.
-------------------- "Werks fer me...it'll werk fer you"
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