Copied from Facebook just now.
This really happened. Yesterday, in fact.
My Phone: Ring. Ring. Ring.
Scott: Hello. How can I make life more wonderful for you today?
Caller: This is a collection agency working with the IRS. I regret to inform you that you owe $1500 in back taxes…
Scott: O.M.G. That is the best news I’ve heard in a long time! I’m going to drop everything and get you the money right now. Can I have your personal bank information so I can wire it to you, and only you? Also, what’s your Social Security Number? How about your astrological sign? I’m a Pisces!
Caller: Silence. More silence. Hang up.
If you have hang ups about unwanted callers why not stop resisting it, go in the opposite direction, and have some fun with it instead?
Here’s the advanced course:
Unwanted Caller: Got a moment? I want to tell you about this revolutionary new product that can…
Scott: (deep, heavy breaths, sultry voice) Never mind about the product. What are you wearing right now?
Unwanted Caller: Uh, ahhhh, I can’t talk right now. I’ll call you back when I get off.
Scott: Fantastic. Perhaps we can get off together.
Well that one didn’t actually happen, but you get the point.
If people on the phone who read from a script annoy you, perhaps it is because you are reacting from a script of your own programmed responses.
Improvise instead. Have fun. There are no rules.