On our contact page, we have a line that requests we aren’t cold called. I don’t know if “cold calling” is a British phrase but it is usually taken to mean telephoning without appointment to pitch goods or solicit and order. It is generally regarding as quite hard work.

Up to press, this request has worked and we receive much less cold calling.

But today something strange happened

We received a cold call.

“Hello, you are on our database and receive our magazine we just wondered if it was still relevant”

(The magazine in question is a glossy ad supported guide to the conference and hospitality industry and I can’t ever remember subscribing to it – I mean who would actually ASK to be sent a catalogue full of adverts for business hotels and facilities?)

“No, not really, can you unsubscribe us please?”

“Of course, I will do that right away and sorry for bothering you today too”

What ? No up sell ? No request to take on a subscription to a second product. I mean, because I was on their database, I must be a prospect.

“Oh, err right, thanks”

And that reminded me of something

To carry on regardless of all feedback and logic from customers and users is a very silly (and often expensive) thing to do.

One of the reasons I moved away from classroom training (the death by powerpoint & chalk and talk type training) was by and large the people in it.

This is a sweeping generalisation but many were still popping the same “funny” stories and anecdotes from 10 years before. Of course, the skill is making is sound spontaneous.

Training that doesn’t adapt to the user (or customer!) is pretty poor training.

I have probably blogged before but when some training companies say “bespoke” what they actually mean is “we will put your logo on what we usually deliver on that subject”

So over to you

When was the last time you stopped and listen to someone (yes you have probably heard it all before) but you weren’t really listening were you?

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