Thread: Met a slowlaner and corporate sheep today; made me angry & cry

This is more of a rant than anything, though I see this as the ultimate failure of people playing the Rat Race, always loosing and wondering why. "Why can't I be rich? Why does XYZ get all the luck when I don't?! I deserve the huge bonus NOT the CEO for this new biz venture ..." ectectect

So, the slowlane story of the day, but a bit of backstory first:

I'm starting a new venture to help people with their real estate marketing. Whether it's online or off I offer 'real estate consulting and copyrighting' services. It's not a novel idea, but it's an idea that works.

We all know you can't win all your battles. Sometimes it's just best to turn the other cheek and boldly go where no one has gone before. Today though I received a very unusual response.

I won't put this persons words verbatim, though it amounted to this:

You are a horrible mean person who doesn't know anything about dealing with people you douche spammer. I will never do business with a <insert very mean words here> like you.

There were other expletives and other reasons listed, but that's the gist of it.

It kind of hurt to be called a spammer, when I was not in any definition of the word (unless cold calling and the type can be considered spam ....).

From what I've surmised about this person: they really don't like the idea of reaching out to potential clients, doesn't like the idea of direct/strategic marketing and doesn't like cold contacts.

Funny part is, they are in real estate where (this is what past real estate agent experience tells me) only the good agents who do cold call, market and the like survive.

Maybe I'm ranting to much, but I feel sad for this person and angry that I am not good enough of a mentor/teacher to help them understand that direct marketing isn't bad.

Oh well.

</rant>

Have any of you guys and gals ever met someone completely infused by the slow lane?

I imagine it has to be commonplace especially when sending out emails to a cold list.

Heck, anytime I send out a mass-email to forum registrants (YES, forum registrants!!) I get nasty replies as if I just spammed them. Some even claim that they never signed up -- as if I went digging for their email address so I can clandestinely add them to my forum registrant list.

Originally Posted by MJDeMarco

I imagine it has to be commonplace especially when sending out emails to a cold list.

Heck, anytime I send out a mass-email to forum registrants (YES, forum registrants!!) I get nasty replies as if I just spammed them. Some even claim that they never signed up -- as if I went digging for their email address so I can clandestinely add them to my forum registrant list.

I remember reading an article which said that for sites with registered users, they should expect at least 2% of their email list to be made up of people like that; those who sign up and hate receiving emails from you so they either reply back to complain or they mark your email as spam, which makes it harder for you to send future emails since they might be placed into the junk folders of your recipients.

People sure are strange in this world. Paul's story is something similar I experienced while I was in Europe for two says:

I told classmates and teachers I was going to create an online product (already done, yey!) and market it very soon. From pretty much everyone in Poland I told I got wide-eyed, shocked looks of disbelief as I were the devil! And of course these were the same people complaining that their pensions weren't enough. And when pressed, for how they are going to increased their income they all said ... and I quote: "I'll just go get another job, eat/spend less, go out less and ask for a raise!" The scariest part is that they said 'that' with a smile ....

And my Polish family wonders why I don't want to go live with them in Europe :-/

Oh well! Got a cup of Yerba Mate and a stack of adverts of lawyers to track down.

Live and learn

Cheers mates.

Lol.

You are 100% right Rickson9; no need to evangelize our ideals. Though that doesn't stop me for feeling sorry for this person who (I'm making a big assumption here) wants out of the rat race (again assuming they are in it) and yet when someone who is well on their way out comes in and says "hey! I have an idea that can help, are you at least interested in" bashes the idea completely ...

Just makes me sad.

Intrepid is also right, we are all like that to some degree.

Originally Posted by piotrkrzyzek

I won't put this persons words verbatim, though it amounted to this:

nastygram

From what I've surmised about this person: they really don't like the idea of reaching out to potential clients, doesn't like the idea of direct/strategic marketing and doesn't like cold contacts.

Funny part is, they are in real estate where (this is what past real estate agent experience tells me) only the good agents who do cold call, market and the like survive.

Maybe he's one of those people who says "it's OK if I coldcall/spam people for MY business, but it's an UNFORGIVABLE SIN if you coldcall/spam me for YOURS..."

Originally Posted by domular

I have a firm belief in the saying "the teacher will appear when the student is ready"

Can't tell you how many times I've told people "I'm doing really well" and I get the "I want to know more we need to do lunch". I say you pick the time and let me know and I'll be there and tell you all I know. Guess how many times I've been to lunch?

I have a contract worker that's really good but hurting financially. I told her I've got some small ideas that are too little for me to mess with but I'd help get you going in it. "Oh the equipment is too expensive". Well I've got some old stuff just collecting dust, I'll send it to you and you can pay for it when you start making money. "Well things are really crazy right now but when they settle down I might just take you up on it"

You can hand the keys to the kingdom to people and if they won't take it and go open the door with it you can't make them want to.

Exactly. It's sort of like trying to make a drug addict go clean. They won't change until they're ready to change; when they've hit the rock bottom point. As long as slowlaners have a steady paycheck and television to keep them busy, most will never reach that point because they're too comfortable to change all of that; the thought of going without a paycheck scares them.

The difference with fastlaners is that the thought of being beholdened to a paycheck till we're 65 scares us more then the thought of losing that steady paycheck.

Originally Posted by domular

“Most people will choose unhappiness over uncertainty.”

So true.
I remember hearing an anecdoate of a whining dog. Someone asked why is the dog whining? The owner replied that he was sitting on a thorn that was causing him some pain. The person asked "Why don't they move then?" Because the dog would rather endure a bit of pain than have to get off it's ass and do something about it.
I'd also say some people get comfortable being and complaining about their "pains". Rather than either doing something about it or accepting when something truly can't be changed - they just whine. Poor me, victim me. And when you try and be proactive about things in your life you're more likely to get shot down like you're the crazy one. It's insanity!!

Hey, Man up. Thats how the world is. Keep doing what ever your doing, because its getting attention.
Rev ike said, i dont care what they say about me in the paper, as long as they spell my name right.
Also go watch glengarry glen ross right now

Hmmm...actually it is worse than spamming imho. Why should I have to spend 30 mins a day dealing with obtrusive cold callers? Isn't it illegal now? Should be!

It kind of hurt to be called a spammer, when I was not in any definition of the word (unless cold calling and the type can be considered spam ....).

maybe he was pi** off with getting 10+ cold calls every day....think of that?

There is nothing illegal about cold calling.

The FTC made some changes and amendments in 2003 about specifically what is and isn't telemarketing and to whom you may do so.

But the Do Not Call List, for example, only covers consumers. It does not give the same rights to businesses.

Thus, yes you can cold call businesses.

Unsolicited? Yes. Most business is. Spam? No.