No Thank You

Why do we have such a hard time saying NO? I think for people like me, who are inherently polite, saying NO amounts to a rejection that we are unable to vocalize. Of course I don't want what they're selling, otherwise I would have taken it upon myself to purchase it from a reliable, less expensive source. And yet, I still find myself unable to say those words to a stranger on the telephone - No Thank You. I don't take offense when it is told to me, at least if it is said politely, but telling the unknown voice at the other end that I am not interested in their product is one ofis the most difficult things I'm ever asked to do. And I'm asked to say it alot. We seem to get alot of telemarketer calls in the morning hours when Jerry is away from home. When I tell the party that he is not available, they sometimes will move right to me. Other times, like when the NRA calls, they only want Jerry, and will call 10 or 15 times until they get him. That happens to be a rejection I don't have much problem with. Oooops, political commentary, sorry. I try to stay away from that. Anyway, the marketing calls which we're usually subjected to are from people for products that we don't really want. You don't see alot of telemarketing for UGGS, or Canoes. These products tend to sell themselves, and people looking to purchase them do the footwork themselves, finding out where there desired product is and getting it/them. So I guess telemarketing is a bit indicative of whether your product is selling well, or not. If you are in the place where you have to hire a telemarketer in order to move your inventory, start looking for a different career path. I don't think the product is taking off in the manner which they desired. I hesitate to use the word failure, but that's the road it's taking. I don't have much faith in the telemarketing system. In fact, I believe any sales made through telemarketing methods should be immediately voided, since they couldn't possibly have been made through acceptable methods. As a former telemarketer myself, I can tell you that you will not find a less invested employee than a telemarketer. Working for publisher's clearinghouse, as many homeworkers in Port Washington, Long Island were, my only interest was in getting through my hours and picking up my paycheck. Calling to try and re-up subscriptions for all the magazines that Publisher's carried was not an interesting job, much less inspiring. I was an uncomfortable telemarketer and it showed in my sales. I tended to agree with those customers who "went off" on telemarketers, and now that I am on the other end, I find it very difficult to turn down a telemarketer. I feel sorry for them. I know that this is not the job they would have picked, it is the job which they are stuck in. And so, saying No Thank You to that poor bastard on the other end of the line would be the final rejection that I don't want to have to say. And so, sometimes hanging up without any comment is the best I can do. I know that if we get into dialogue, I will become a mushy mess who just purchased something I don't really want. Subscription renewals, insurance packages and other such unsaleable items are what they're selling. Now, with telephone numbers identifying themselves on the television screen, at least we have a heads up. I can compose my most staunch mindset before I pick up the phone. Then, when I hear the first words of the sales pitch, I can simply hang up. No Thank You only leads them to another page in their script and we can get into dialogue that goes on for hours. No thank you.