by Rodney McGuire; Special Correspondent

Telemarketing is a job most people would never consider. Just because they do not know how fun and exciting the job can really be. The crazy things that people say, the constant hang ups, the little kids that mistake you for the opposite sex. It is crazy, and it is all up to the telemarketer to just have fun with it, but continue to be professional with the caller.
Nine times out of ten when I am on the line with a caller they mistake me for a girl, so I just go with the flow, and by the end of the conversation I make my voice really deep to let them know they were talking with a man the whole time. The only way anyone can call me ma’m and get away with it, is if they are purchasing the paper. Then they kind of feel bad for calling me ma’m, and then that is how I reel them into buying the product I am selling.
At my telemarketing firm we sell newspapers all across the United States, such as Georgia, Nevada, Florida, Kingsport, Saint Louis and lots more. I have to remember different pitches for every state that I call. A pitch is just guidelines on what to say when you are calling certain areas. There are multiple ways you could pitch to a person. Personally, I just like to get the callers attention as soon as they pick up the phone. I speak softly with a lot of energy so I won’t automatically sound like a telemarketer to them.
Then I softly, but aggressively pressure you into buying the paper. I tell you how good the paper is, all the discounts I am going to give you, and then I verify where you currently stay and your first and last name.
How is it that my own city, Saint Louis, is by far the hardest paper to sell, just because of the hospitality level, and everyone hanging up on me. For instance I was on a call and I went through my first sales pitch and the guy on the phone stops me and says,“look son I wouldn’t get that paper even if you gave it to me for free.”
So I went on pitching to him and then I asked, “so what’s holding you back from getting the paper today sir?”
he replied with, “the paper is to democratic for me, and I’m a diehard republican.”
At this point in the conversation I was pretty stumped because I have never had any one not want to read the paper because of the way it was written, and in my book of responses to the objections, there was no counter attack for this. So I kind of chuckled and not knowingly, I offended the man on the phone and he simply said, “you know what, go ahead send me the paper; I need some more stuff to burn tonight”
Hey, that was fine with me, as long as I got the sale it was a win for both of us. He gets to burn the newspaper and I get more money.