Journey mercies

I got a call today from someone who said he met me through someone. And for the LIFE of me, could not place who the caller was, nor identify the person he said he met me through.

I'm usually ok, talking to people I don't know or something. But what really annoyed me was, he started asking if he could meet up with me to explain to me about investment links. Suddenly, my annoyance level shot up.

Why? Let me count the ways.


1. I obviously did not place who he was, and he could not explain to me when we met, how we met and through who we met. As far as I'm concerned, he has not established a credible link for me to consider his credibility.

2. He called me not to establish friendship, but for his own business interest. Which is fine. Where I have issues is that he calls me on a Saturday. If he had called me on a weekday, I might have pretended to be a little more cordial. I prefer not to have my Saturdays marred by the slightest thought of work.

3. He was too brusque, too businesslike for me. Funny ain't it that I should say that when that's the way I am when it comes to work? But when you try to do business through a personal link like friends, it throws the entire relationship into a different tangent and a different approach is required. You savvy?

4. When I clearly indicated annoyance when I said I was not interested, you don't question me, "Have you actually heard what investment link is about?!". The right question and line of probing should be, "May I understand why you're not interested?" He was obviously not savvy.

5. When I have further indicated higher levels of annoyance from your line of questioning, you end the conversation quickly but lightly, not closing any doors for yourself to call again and try to see if my interest could change by saying, "Perhaps it may not be revelant to you at this point of time, but it potentially could in another time. Let's leave this for now and discuss it when that time arises." You do not reiterate yourself several times in a tone that insinuates that I am ignorant and clearly stupid for not listening to you by repeating yourself, "But have you heard of investment link?! Ok, so you don't know what investment link is about. Ok then."


Now, if he had been able to more clearly establish the link of how he came to have my mobile number and who I met him through, I might, for the sake of the person, hear him out. If you insist on using through personal networks, then you really must try to establish a very strong credibility because of the delicate situation. If it was merely through a work network, then it's purely about business and I would have given my time much more freely.

The other thing that made me cautious was the fact that he called me by my Chinese name. The name he mentioned that he met me through sounded like a colleague in the office. And I use an English name in my work. So you see, I do very clearly draw very clear lines between personal and work. So when he tried mixing the two up, it made him very very dubious to me.

And so in conclusion, my dear friends, please do not refer any direct sales person to me out of the blue. If the sales guy truly has a product that you yourself believe in, please tell me that you have referred the sales guy to me. Else wise, I warn you, I can be very nasty when provoked. Especially when they try to call me on a Saturday.