Author Topic: Hey guys who buy crap for work!  (Read 14527 times)

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Offline Institutional Control

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Hey guys who buy crap for work!
« on: June 07, 2016, 10:00:32 AM »
I spend most of my day reaching out to people trying to sell them crap.  I have leads where people have been to our website, visited our booth at a trade show or just generally shown some interest in our product to the extent that they’ve given my company their contact info.   Reaching out to those people is pretty simple. They tend to reply to emails, pick up their phone when you call and/or accept a meeting with me.

Obviously it would be best if all business could be done that way but getting the word out about our product via marketing can be expensive and not always effective.  As a result, we do a pretty fair amount of cold calling and emailing to make connections.  More and more people I speak to have become increasing irritated by unsolicited calls/emails.

My questions to those of you who routinely or even occasionally purchase products and services for your company are:
Do you ever pick up your phone when you see it’s from a vendor or a number you don’t recognize?
Has anyone ever left you a sales pitch on a voicemail that motivated you to call them back?
Have you ever purchased anything for the company that began by someone cold calling/cold emailing you?
Do you open emails from people that are obviously trying to sell you something?
If so, do you ever respond?
Do you accept LinkedIn connection requests from people you don’t know?


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Offline steve dave

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Re: Hey guys who buy crap for work!
« Reply #1 on: June 07, 2016, 10:04:56 AM »
no to all of the above

Offline Asteriskhead

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Re: Hey guys who buy crap for work!
« Reply #2 on: June 07, 2016, 10:06:25 AM »

Offline Trim

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Re: Hey guys who buy crap for work!
« Reply #3 on: June 07, 2016, 10:08:37 AM »
It's too bad that if you had a question like "given the title, did you even open this thread?" that all the responses would necessarily have to be yes.

Offline 420seriouscat69

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Re: Hey guys who buy crap for work!
« Reply #4 on: June 07, 2016, 10:11:10 AM »
I receive and reach out to/connect a lot of candidates on LinkedIn. Trade shows, i'm usually the one they contact with afterwards because my CEO and COO tell them i'm the manager of said product. I forward on any emails/voicemails to them, which I know they never listen to.

Offline meow meow

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Re: Hey guys who buy crap for work!
« Reply #5 on: June 07, 2016, 10:12:13 AM »
No to all of the above, except on LinkedIn, i'll sometimes accept a request if it's someone in my industry that has connections with people I work with. 

Speaking of cold calls, I've had the same recruiter call my work phone the last 3 weeks, probably at least 3 times a week, wanting to meet up with me, introduce herself, yadda yadda.  First time she left a voicemail.  Every other time I hit decline when the call comes up on my computer.  She's not getting the hint, I've never answered and never called back.  Give it up.

Offline Testy Westy

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Re: Hey guys who buy crap for work!
« Reply #6 on: June 07, 2016, 10:13:12 AM »
Is there a way to mark a thread as spam like I do Batt BcKee's emails?

Offline Emo EMAW

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Re: Hey guys who buy crap for work!
« Reply #7 on: June 07, 2016, 10:15:35 AM »
Is there a way to mark a thread as spam like I do Batt BcKee's emails?

 :lol:

Offline Institutional Control

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Re: Hey guys who buy crap for work!
« Reply #8 on: June 07, 2016, 10:18:55 AM »
Is there a way to mark a thread as spam like I do Batt BcKee's emails?

Just reply "UNSUBSCRIBE!!!"

Offline Institutional Control

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Re: Hey guys who buy crap for work!
« Reply #9 on: June 07, 2016, 10:19:29 AM »
or "REMOVE ME FROM YOUR LIST"

message must be in all caps.

Offline DQ12

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Re: Hey guys who buy crap for work!
« Reply #10 on: June 07, 2016, 10:23:29 AM »
no


"You want to stand next to someone and not be able to hear them, walk your ass into Manhattan, Kansas." - [REDACTED]

Offline Institutional Control

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Re: Hey guys who buy crap for work!
« Reply #11 on: June 07, 2016, 10:27:50 AM »
What if I trick you into opening the email or picking up the phone? Does it make you angry? Or do you just think "well played".

At my last company, we used a program that made it look like we were calling from a local number.  We got way more people to pick up because they thought it might be their kid's school or doctor or something. You could tell by the tone in their voice they were upset with themselves for picking up.

Offline Institutional Control

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Re: Hey guys who buy crap for work!
« Reply #12 on: June 07, 2016, 10:29:00 AM »
So basically, I can assume that most of you who need something, you do the research and reach out to that company or you just talk to a current vendor to see if they provide that service/product, right?

Offline star seed 7

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Re: Hey guys who buy crap for work!
« Reply #13 on: June 07, 2016, 10:30:22 AM »
That sounds terrible MM  :frown:
Hyperbolic partisan duplicitous hypocrite

Offline Testy Westy

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Re: Hey guys who buy crap for work!
« Reply #14 on: June 07, 2016, 10:31:43 AM »
If you have to trick people into listening to your pitch your product probably sucks.

Offline DQ12

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Re: Hey guys who buy crap for work!
« Reply #15 on: June 07, 2016, 10:31:55 AM »
So basically, I can assume that most of you who need something, you do the research and reach out to that company or you just talk to a current vendor to see if they provide that service/product, right?
Yes.  And if they don't offer it they usually offer a referral.


"You want to stand next to someone and not be able to hear them, walk your ass into Manhattan, Kansas." - [REDACTED]

Offline 8manpick

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Re: Hey guys who buy crap for work!
« Reply #16 on: June 07, 2016, 10:33:00 AM »
How do you sleep at night, known piece of crap human Batt BcKee (of Texas Tech University)?
:adios:

Offline Dr Rick Daris

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Re: Hey guys who buy crap for work!
« Reply #17 on: June 07, 2016, 10:33:38 AM »
I only answer my phone when it's my wife calling. everybody else has to leave a message.

Offline michigancat

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Re: Hey guys who buy crap for work!
« Reply #18 on: June 07, 2016, 10:34:22 AM »


I spend most of my day reaching out to people trying to sell them crap.  I have leads where people have been to our website, visited our booth at a trade show or just generally shown some interest in our product to the extent that they’ve given my company their contact info.   Reaching out to those people is pretty simple. They tend to reply to emails, pick up their phone when you call and/or accept a meeting with me.

Obviously it would be best if all business could be done that way but getting the word out about our product via marketing can be expensive and not always effective.  As a result, we do a pretty fair amount of cold calling and emailing to make connections.  More and more people I speak to have become increasing irritated by unsolicited calls/emails.

My questions to those of you who routinely or even occasionally purchase products and services for your company are:
Do you ever pick up your phone when you see it’s from a vendor or a number you don’t recognize?
Has anyone ever left you a sales pitch on a voicemail that motivated you to call them back?
Have you ever purchased anything for the company that began by someone cold calling/cold emailing you?
Do you open emails from people that are obviously trying to sell you something?
If so, do you ever respond?
Do you accept LinkedIn connection requests from people you don’t know?

Is what you're selling relevant to my needs? Then I would probably open an email or linkedin message. I never answer unknown calls. The local area code thing you do is terrible.

Offline Testy Westy

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Re: Hey guys who buy crap for work!
« Reply #19 on: June 07, 2016, 10:34:36 AM »
Watch out you guys, this thread is probably giving MM leads somehow.

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Re: Hey guys who buy crap for work!
« Reply #20 on: June 07, 2016, 10:35:39 AM »
If I want something I just tell the person who orders stuff to just order it.  I maybe get like 2 calls a week period.  When I do get calls its from our vendors who just want to 'catch up' or 'see how everything is going' and I rough ridin' hate it

Offline Institutional Control

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Re: Hey guys who buy crap for work!
« Reply #21 on: June 07, 2016, 10:36:06 AM »
Is what you're selling relevant to my needs? Then I would probably open an email or linkedin message. I never answer unknown calls. The local area code thing you do is terrible.

I agree, it's very shady.  Fortunately, I don't work for that company anymore.

Offline star seed 7

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Re: Hey guys who buy crap for work!
« Reply #22 on: June 07, 2016, 10:39:04 AM »
I don't actually do the buying, but I have to research and get price quotes for specific (1-off) products quite often. Usually it ends up I won't need the product, but that doesn't stop some dork from calling every week for the next 5 months asking if we need anything from them. Like bro, just chill.
Hyperbolic partisan duplicitous hypocrite

Offline 420seriouscat69

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Re: Hey guys who buy crap for work!
« Reply #23 on: June 07, 2016, 10:45:37 AM »
If you have to trick people into listening to your pitch your product probably sucks.
Software sells don't suck. I think every business tries to grow. MM has had success in the field. Just because it's not a profession you guys have pursued, doesn't mean it's crap. Lots of company success stories from companies buying product like this. Any type of product is going to use some source of networking.

Offline DQ12

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Re: Hey guys who buy crap for work!
« Reply #24 on: June 07, 2016, 10:47:30 AM »
cold calling just sounds brutal.


"You want to stand next to someone and not be able to hear them, walk your ass into Manhattan, Kansas." - [REDACTED]