by Bob Branco
How often have you received a call from a telemarketer informing you that your vehicle’s warranty is about to expire, even if you don’t own a car? Why do these telemarketing companies waste their time calling people who do not qualify for their offers? 
In other words, if a telemarketer is trying to appeal to homeowners, why call tenants? How many wasted calls are made informing people about their vehicle warranty expirations when the customer either doesn’t have a vehicle or has no expiring warranty? In my case, I don’t even own a vehicle, yet my warranty has been expiring for the past three years!
In 1993, I was a telemarketer for a company that sold Kirby vacuum cleaners. In my opinion, the owners were stingy. My job was to convince the customer to let a Kirby salesman in the house so that he could try to sell the vacuum cleaner. For every successful call I made, resulting in the sale of the Kirby, I received $5. Mind you, the product being sold was worth $1,400. I know that the salesman received his commission, but don’t you think I should have gotten more than $5 per call every time the customer bought the vacuum cleaner? Thank God, I received a base salary or I wouldn’t have taken the job.
At one point, a customer threatened to notify the police because she thought I was harassing her. Right after that, my boss accused me of not pushing hard enough. How ironic! How much harder did the boss want me to push the customer, especially after I’ve already been threatened with the police? When I was laid off from that job, I was the happiest former telemarketer in town.
Do yourselves a favor. Don’t ever take any telemarketing jobs. It isn’t worth it, especially if you don’t believe in the product. Why would I care about a $1,400 Kirby vacuum cleaner that does everything but wash your dishes or change your baby’s diapers, when I can get by with a dirt devil? Yet, I was hired to convince customers to allow a salesman to demonstrate a Kirby, and if the customer let the salesman in, she would be awarded a free fruit basket.
In the 18 months that I was employed by this Kirby vacuum cleaner company, my efforts resulted in just two sales. The only reason why I worked that long at a job I couldn’t stand was because at least I had a job, and it’s hard for a blind person to find one.
About the Author
Bob Branco resides in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and is a self-published author of four books. He is a community organizer, tutors persons with visual impairments, and has written columns for local and international organizations. Bob’s web site is www.dvorkin.com/robertbranco/.
