One thing we face as a small business "The Pest".

One thing we face as a small business is "the pest".

Not bugs, not the dog next door or even neighborhood kids running around. As a small business owner we face a whole different type of pest; the unwanted solicitor. Better known as spammers, phishers, or telemarketers. Being a small business we need to take all leads and calls coming in, with cell phones you may never know where or who may be calling you for a job, quote or question about service. Each call or email is important and may help pay the bills to survive this economy.

Will they ever stop?

Your phone is ringing the number looks unfamiliar but you still need to answer it, only to get the "Your google map listing may not be right" or the pause that never says any thing. These marketers need to make a quota of calls each day you may find your phone getting two or three calls form the same number each day. I have a caller that I can not get rid of calls three times each Wednesday every week at almost the same time I know the number and just don't answer it, but it take time from what your doing, stopping getting the phone out and looking at the number. These phone calls are getting bad. More telemarketers are calling all the time if you answer they are selling your phone number to other telemarketers, it is big business annoying other people on the phone by wasting your time.

I have tried to slowed them down some, by waiting for the phone to ring at least three times then waiting about three to four seconds before saying the company name. I use to say Pete speaking how may I help you. With the "robo" call they have the company name and a contact person which they them call back later and pretend to know you or have done business with you. I now wait three to four seconds and say the company name and wait if no response I will hang up. Hopefully the robo call will take it as a fax, or answering machine and they will not call back or put your number up as a live number for others to call.

Emails are another source for these leaches to practice their trade. Even opening emails can now be tracked and can unleash some form of take over a "hack" maybe just your address book or worse. It takes time for you to do a search to see what is new or out there but you have to be careful you never know. What is one to do? I wish I knew we now live in a different world where thief and scammers are out there and participating in their trades only you are the one that looses each and every time. You loose time you loose productivity you could higher a screener or call center to receive your calls but you are a small business and pinching pennies now. In any case does trowing money at it  fix the problem? I think not, until things change or these practices are exposed callers will call emailers will email with out regards to you or me it is their business to intrude into ours.

As for now there is not much a person "the small business owner" can do but to help get the word out on these numbers I do post constant callers to some of the pages that do track them as: http://www.badnumbers.com/657-202-9040/ or http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-954-688-3007  this may help others or help drive these people away (fat chance) but it does help vent a bit if nothing else. Here is another one: http://www.callercenter.com/206-333-0505.html . Doing business in the modern world  takes different avenues and approaches.

I would like to add one more thing here. I have nothing against the men and women who make a living at call centers or even calling from their home, you need to make a living too. But no means "no" and you should honor a one call limit, most are courteous when told no. There are some, that give your industry a very bad name, but this is true in all industries.

This is just fitting! As I am fishing this entry off and doing a bit of rewording, I just now received a call from 503.333.577eight who is out of Portland OR but is working closely with the golf courses here in town and thought my company would be a good fit with their advertising package. What is the best thing they represent "the list of courses" which they don't know range from private courses, country clubs and those owned by the city, county or parkboard some do not advertise at all being that the parkboard owns and runs them. They didn't want to talk about this detail. Life is just full of little ironies isn't it.