Outsmarting Telemarketing Scripts - Take Control When They Annoy You

Telemarketing scripts are what telemarketers use to sell a company’s product, service, etc. Therefore, the telemarketer on the other end of the call isn’t spontaneously attempting to make a sale, he/she is actually reading a script in an effort to get the customer – you – to purchase whatever it is there selling.

Many telemarketing scripts can be very cunning and convincing, and provide the telemarketer with quick and persuasive responses to customer questions, making it more difficult for a customer to decline a sale. However, regardless of how persuasive a script a telemarketer may depend on, there are ways you can stop them from roping you into a sale, and even better, stop them from calling you altogether.

How can you achieve this? The easiest and fastest way is to simply interrupt the telemarketer as quickly as you can and say politely, "please put me on your do-not-call list." Once you have said these words, by federal law the telemarketing company must take you off their call list and is not permitted to contact you for 10 years. However, should you wish to achieve the same goal by using a more involved method, you can put the telemarketer’s script to the test by asking the following questions:

"What is the name of the company you are calling on behalf of?" - be sure to get the name of the actual company the telemarketer is calling for, not the name of the telemarketing company the telemarketer works for.

"Is this a telephone solicitation?" – Even if a telemarketer responds "no", which in many cases they will, shrug off their answer and continue on with your questions.

"Could you please provide me with your full name?" The telemarketer may only give you their first name, but by law you have the right to know their full name.

"Could I have your phone number please?" By law telemarketers must provide you with a phone number so you can contact the business they are calling on behalf of.

"What is the mailing address of your company?" Don’t be surprised if the telemarketer doesn’t know the address of the business they are calling for, even though it is a requirement of their job. If they don’t know, they may transfer you to superior, or hang up on you.

"Does the company you are calling on behalf of keep a do-not-call list?" If the business does not have one, this is a violation of federal law.

"I would like my number put on the do-not-call list. Can you do that now please?" By Federal law the telemarketer must comply to this request.

"Does the company you work for make telemarketing calls for any other organizations?" If the telemarketer says "no", thank them for putting you on their do-not-call list and end the conversation. If the telemarketer responds "yes", ask the following question.

"Can you ensure that your company will not call me on behalf of any other organization they work with?"

Make sure you record down all of the answers they provide you. The reason is because if the telemarketer violates certain federal regulations, you may be able to sue them, and at the very least, report them to the Federal Communications Commission or Federal Trade Commission.

If you want to file a complaint regarding an annoying caller, check out this telemarketing and annoying call complaint database here.