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[Warren Veach Company: State Continuing Education Contribution Level: 4]

Those that know me are well aware of my disdain for people that utilize the "voice-blasters" and the annoying, irritating and intrusive phone calls they generate.

However, today I got confirmation in the way of yet another un-solicited phone call, that the technology is now being used by an even more despicable type of person, the con artist.

We've all received those e-mails from the prince in Saudi, the barrister in London or the guy needing to protect his family fortune, but at least until now, they haven't been calling me.

This morning, I answered the phone in my usual, cheery greeting, and I heard "HI, this is Maurene", which was followed by just long enough of a pause for me to respond to her.

Then came the pitch, she's a single mother of 8, trying to make ends meet and needs my help. She was referred to me by a mutual friend whom she didn't want to name because of her embarrassment.

Her husband has been arrested and is some African prison and she needs to get money transferred to the U.S. because the prison won't accept checks drawn on a bank from her country.

Blah, blah, blah, click!

While I despise marketers that use the "voice-blasters" and auto-dialers with recorded messages, and think it represents the very worst form of marketing a person can do, I do realize that there are legitimate uses for this technology, i.e. schools when announcing closures, or legitimate announcements that need to be made to a select group of recipients.

However, I have to think that companies allowing these type of people to utilize their technology are doing themselves no good in the long run.

At least when I get the e-mail, I can mark it as SPAM and hope that the e-mail client will deal with it. I can block the sender, but with a phone call from a rotating series of numbers, I am helpless.

I can't even report them to the "company" because I have no idea who they are, and the caller might even be using a software program that doesn't go through an online service.

My point, or rather my plea is, that if you insist on using this wonderful technology in this manner, and are going to call me at all times of the day and evening, then at least use a little wisdom.

Calling me 6-7 times a week is not going to make me more receptive to your message.

Calling me from multiple numbers is not going to make me listen to hear if you say anything different from the last time you called.

Know that any person that teaches this method of marketing is immediately going on my "They haven't a clue" list of people and I will try to steer anyone that asks me for a referral away from them.

Know that I will put any company that preaches this type of marketing on my "I don't trust them" list and will encourage everyone I know not to do business with them.

There, I feel better now.

[Joyce Penner Company: Life Force International Contribution Level: 8]

Funny we had this type of conversation this morning. How what we speak out is so important. Warren, you are going to laugh, but it was about the weather. One lady repeatedly, all winter long (nice lady by the way), every time you met her would tell you, "I'm fine but this winter has been so cold." To her that wasn't complaining, it was a fact !

If she met 18 people at the Post Office she would say it 18 times. She didn't believe how the fact she was repeating this over and over again was spewing negativity, was speaking into existence more of the same from others. "But I always say I'm fine first ! " was her sputtered justification. "And most people agree with me," was another excuse to continue doing it.

There's a sign on the main street of our town. It says "Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?"

She didn't get it, not the message on the sign nor the discussion. Maybe she never will but then she'll continue to wonder how come she has so many negative people in her life.

It was a good morning for growth this morning because some of the group got it. Some have no idea they were doing the same thing. Some won't do it again.

As always, appreciate you Warren,
Joyce

[Warren Veach Company: State Continuing Education Contribution Level: 4]

LOL, even as I was writing this, I thought to myself, "Joyce is going to get onto me (again) about my writing on this topic (again)."

But you know, when the weather warms up, your lady friend will quit commenting on how cold it is anymore, and when these idiots quit calling me on my business line, I'll quit complaining about them calling.

Frankly, I hope my attitude towards these marketers is contagious. I hope they catch my attitude and stop doing it.

And, I hope others that are just now coming into the realm of online marketing will realize that they ostracize more people than they attract with this particular tactic.

But, that being said, I do get your point. Negativity does breed negativity. And their calls do make me negative.

But if a person were to send you a fb friend request, and as soon as you accepted it, they sent you a sales pitch, wouldn't you try to use it as a teaching moment?

Haven't most social marketing "experts" written article after article regarding the proper way to do business on social networking sites and pointed out time after time about how bad a practice it is and how important it is to build a relationship with a prospective follower before jumping into a sales pitch?

Frankly, I don't see the difference between the voice-blaster and the social site piranha, but I'm stubborn that way.

I had hoped that new marketers that might be considering using this particular technology as a piece of their marketing puzzle, would see the drawback to it just as the we hope the person that slams you with a pitch right off the bat would see the drawbacks in doing that.

But, while we're on the subject...I'm open to suggestion...how would the Better Networker crowd suggest, or recommend approaching this subject, or do we just not talk about it?

Or, let's hear from the other side of the fence.

Who's in favor of using voice-blasting, and why?

[Joyce Penner Company: Life Force International Contribution Level: 8]

But you know, when the weather warms up, your lady friend will quit commenting on how cold it is anymore, and when these idiots quit calling me on my business line, I'll quit complaining about them calling.

Frankly, I hope my attitude towards these marketers is contagious. I hope they catch my attitude and stop doing it.

What would I do without you in my life, Warren? It would not be nearly as interesting. LOL

So, to continue ..... That ain't going to happen. (Stop doing it, either complaining about the weather or the phone ringing,)

You're wasting energy, my friend, and you've got so much good stuff to send out to the universe, why spread the crap. There's enough people in the world who specialize in that. As Jim Rohn would say "Don't sign up for that class."

Have a great and awesome day,
Joyce