COMMAERNTTARY
TAKE A HINT
MAY/JUNE 2019 | TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 139
There are days when I just
want to yell, “Take a hint!”
It’s usually while I am
standing next to my garbage
can with the lid open, throwing in
my daily allotment of junk mail.
I do make sure to rip up the portion
with my name on it. The rest of
it goes in without a glance since
I repeatedly get the same junk mail from
the same companies.
I respect that these companies want
my business, but their tactics result in the
opposite. Why would I ever do business
with a company that conducts itself in
this manner? Why would I want to do
business with a company that spends so
much money to fill my trash? I figure the
customers end up paying a higher price so
they can fill my waste receptacle.
One thing I like about junk mail is that
I can rip it up in peace and quiet on my
own schedule, while telephone robocalls
are something else entirely. It seems a
new sales technique is to totally annoy
individuals until they purchase whatever
you are selling. I was trained in sales that
people buy from friends, not salespeople.
Friendships are not made by taped voice
messages over the phone, nor are they
formed in the early morning during my
first cup of coffee, or during dinner, when
companies assume I will be available.
Sales are made by having a product that a
person needs or wants, in which case, there
is normally not a lot of selling involved.
If I cannot identify the caller and
therefore don’t answer, I believe the person
will leave a message if it is important, and
I will get back to him or her. I do not get
many messages. I have a block feature on
my phone, but it has a limit, and I am sure
I have far exceeded it. So, I keep getting
junk calls in which I have no interest.
I once considered writing back to
the companies sending me junk mail,
requesting that they delete me from their
lists, but then I realized I would be classified
as “a live one,” and that would lead to even
more junk mail. Likewise, if you
pick up one of the junk phone calls,
I have learned that the callers are
happy to learn a number is working.
Once they determine a number
has been answered, they call the
number on a regular basis, hoping
someone will eventually respond.
I don’t blame the individual
telemarketers who make the calls, but
rather the companies for using these
techniques. I realize some calls are scams
or phishing, but as I can’t tell them apart
from real companies, I have to lump the
calls together and assume I’m better off not
dealing with any of them. I hope one day
the government will pass some regulations
against them. Until then, if you are one of
those who feel as I do, you are not alone.
It is not good news, but that’s the news. 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: Dick Crippen, a staple
in Tampa Bay broadcasting for more than
40 years, is a senior adviser for the Tampa
Bay Rays, and works extensively with the
military. He is active in the world of charity
fundraising and sits on numerous boards
for nonprofit organizations.
By Dick Crippen
Dick Crippen