Tips and Tricks

7 Top Tips To End Cold Calls

Unwanted cold calls, which are the UK’s most despised selling tactic, can be ended with a few simple to follow steps.

1. Telephone Preference Service (TPS)

All UK-Based companies are forbidden by law from making unsolicited marketing or sales calls to telephone numbers registered with the TPS and this is true even if they operate from an overseas call centre. The service is easy to register with, simply by either going to the TPS Website or by calling 0845 070 0707

A limitation of the service, however ,is that in is powerless to prevent calls coming in from abroad, illegal scams, market research companies or from firms with whom you have ‘opted in’ to receive calls.

2. Go Ex-Directory

Some smaller, local businesses may still be using paper telephone directories or sourcing numbers to make sales calls from the net. Make sure your number is removed from these kinds of directories.

3. Opt Out Of Call Lists

There is various data protection legislation that prohibits firms from contacting you for sales or marketing purposes if you have indicated that you would not like them to; this applies even to existing customers.

If you are required by a company to provide a contact number, if you are buying a product or service online or over the phone, remember to make it a stipulation that the company does not contact you for secondary marketing purposes or that your number is not passed on to a third party.

Make a careful note to tick any ‘opt in/out’ boxes – paying particular attention to the wording. Sometimes a tick is required to opt out of a telephone contact and other times vice versa. Read the small print. Carefully!

4. Screen Your Calls

This is particularly simple on a mobile phone where the number of the caller is displayed. If you do not recognize the number or the caller has withheld it, simply don’t answer it. Legitimate callers can always leave a message and return number on your answering service.

5. Call Bar Unwanted Calls

A good many cold calls originate from outside the UK. Unless you specifically need to receive calls from abroad, why not see if your carrier operates a service where you can bar calls from international numbers?

You can also set most modern handsets to bar calls from withheld numbers, although this may also prevent work colleagues or family members from being able to reach you, for example from a switchboarded number.

6. Using a Call Blocking Service

Some dedicated providers, such as www.grouputilities.com provide devices that can plug into your home phone to assist you in blocking phone numbers.

7. Don’t Give In To Pressure

When you do find yourself receiving a cold call, the most important thing to do is stay calm. The following phrase is an effective way to end a sales call quickly and firmly by staying in control.

‘I’m sorry but I don’t buy over the phone, please remove this number from your company’s database and do not call again. Thank you, Goodbye.’

Then hang up.