| |
| |
|
Ethics Information |
|
|
|
No Credit is Due: Bad Telemarketing
Just a few minutes ago I was debating what to write about this week -- something interesting, perhaps, or maybe it was about time to give some credit to snails, I thought. Then, by some random stroke of luck, fate or writer's lightning (a term I created just now), I received a phone call from a credit card company... "We are all ready to complete your application," the woman told me. "We just need to ask you a couple more questions." In theory this makes a lot of sense. I mean, hey -- when someone applies for a credit card, it's only logical that questions would follow. It's like that snail I was going to compliment earlier, whereas I must give credit when -- and only when -- credit is due. But this theory should not apply to me, as I have not applied for a credit card within the past couple of years, not even to get a free mug or basketball with my favorite baseball team imprinted on it... "I didn't apply for a credit card," I told the woman. And this was true, of course, because who I am to lie to a person on the other end of the phone without being a politician? "Well, you were recommended to us," she told me. Now, this is a nice gesture as well. I am normally honored when people recommend me for something, even when I am recommended to give up my place in line, or to give up my seat on the bus. But in this case I needed more information? "Who recommended me?" I asked. It was a question so succinctly worded that it could only produce an accurate and succinct answer... "Ummm," she said. "Well, we thought you would be a good fit." I can understand being a good fit for a college, a job or even a sweatshirt. But what exactly does it mean to be a good fit for a credit card? The fact that I have the desire to buy things and often must act upon those desires in order to live? I bring up this whole debacle in the column not only out of lack of other subjects to address, sans the snails, but more so because I think credit card companies need to learn from the phone call I just discussed, in the following three ways: 1. Never tell someone he or she is a good fit unless the person tries on the credit card beforehand, at which point the card is probably so stretched out that it no longer works. But then again, neither does this whole telemarketing plan regardless. 2. If you tell a person he or she was recommended by someone, make up a name of a person who served as the recommendation-giver. In times of creative lapses, use the name "Jason A. Creditcard." This may seem incredibly fake, but the level of fakeness will never be surpassed by the false level of sincerity involved in this phone call. 3. Rather than telling a person that he or she has applied for a card but apparently didn't realize it, use a snappy line such as "We're trying to give you credit, dude!" This takes away from the professionalism of the phone call, but on the flip side, everyone likes to be called "dude." And some of us even like credit. Following these tips will probably destroy the purpose of marketing ploys, but then again, I guess that could be the point... But I digress. Greg Gagliardi is a teacher and writer. His stream-of-consciousness weekly humor column, "Progressive Revelations," has been ongoing since 1998. (http://www.ProgressiveRevelations.com)
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Better Business Boundaries To get a new client, we might be inclined to make concessions no matter what the cost: offer a second or extra long sample session; reduce fees; set session times we don't want to work. We might leap at any opportunity before looking at the possible return on investment of time. Business Ethics: How The Sales Function Can Transmit Company Values I recently got a "thank-you" call from a man who read my new e-book Buying Facilitation."Boy," he said, "this method sure helps me close more deals and make more money. Top 10 Principles for Positive Business Ethics This morning, I read about a company using on-line auctions to defraud customers. Last week, I consulted on an ethics complaint where a business coach betrayed a client's confidentiality. Business Ethics: An Oxymoron? Why do I believe good PR and business ethics are inextricably linked? It comes down to definitions. Ethics is learning what is right and what is wrong and then doing the "right thing. Conflict: Not Necessarily a Bad Thing I got yelled at tonight. Not the type of yelling that someone does when you've done something to tick someone off, but the kind of yelling that was a swift kick in the pants about something that I'm NOT doing. MacDonalidisation: Braverman, Taylor & Mayo Background: George Ritzer defined McDonaldization as ".. Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Shifting Culture and Climate in Todays Corporate World This articles relates to the AlphaMeasure core competency Culture and Climate. AlphaMeasure defines climate as the effect an organization has on the employees, while culture refers more to the acceptable behaviors, attitudes, and habits of the organization as a whole. The Three Schools of Business Ethics G. Richard Shell, author of Bargaining for Advantage: Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People, identifies three primary schools of ethics in negotiation. Ethics in Business...A Lost Art While watching Face the Nation one Sunday earlier this year, Bob Schiffer discussed the airline industry, his mother and ethics in business. Like Bob, I think it is a sad commentary today, that we have to police businesses. Dont Hate Them Because Theyre Beautiful Tonight I'm going out with two extremely impressive ladies who I am introducing to one another. They are both GORGEOUS, in their mid 20s and both incredibly intelligent. Enron's Ultimate Victim: Ethics FROM the 'MORAL HIGH GROUND', where we imagine ourselves, the Enron fiasco should have come as no surprise. Enron is simply a quintessential example of the degradation of principles such as trust, loyalty and ethical standards. Ethics? How To Take the Measure Business When asked to write a small piece pertaining to ethics and integrity in the business world, my first inclination was to draw on personal experience.Everyone has bad experiences to relate. Business Ethics: Functional Choices Years of experience have taught me there is no such thing as "Business Ethics". If a person isn't ethical in the rest of their lives, their business ethics aren't worth the shoe leather they've worn out either. Six Reasons to Give If you run a business, you undoubtedly feel many pressures on your time and money. Why would you want to add "giving to the community" to your "to do" list? Here are six reasons . The Everyday Business Ethics Crisis Or Im Mad as Hell and Not Going to Take it Anymore Breaking news may feature the Enron debacle, WorldCom activities, or accounting problems but we live our everyday business life making ethical choices that affect our employment and businesses. Consider the ethical choices made in these situations:-A restaurateur hired a firm, used the firm's ideas, benefited from them and refused to pay for the services rendered. Work Ethics - A Paradigm Shift Work ethics is a hot topic in today's business and educational worlds. Yet, how do we define this hybrid phrase with the word work meaning more than a specific outcome and the word ethics being more than the values that enhance that outcome?When we say we are going to work, work becomes the place of employment. Is Your Management Style Lead By Intimidation? So many women make the mistake of thinking that they have to be these big mean diva bosses, to get respect and cooperation from their staff and colleagues. They walk around the office huffing and puffing, never showing satisfaction at the work their staff does. Business Ethics: An Oxymoron An oxymoron: the juxtaposition of contradictory words or concepts. That is what we have with the term "Business Ethics". Business Ethics There is much talk today about ethics in business - as there should be, but there should be more than talk; there should be a high moral code for all executives who are responsible to both their customers and their shareholders.I have been the president and CEO of one publicly owned company and also was president of another that was responsible to customers who traded equities. The Deception Perception: Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain The Deception PerceptionWithout a doubt, people would rather do business with someone they know, like, and trust. Credibility is critical.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
