"Use open questions to engage the prospect"

Today I had a cold call from somebody trying to sell me advertising space I can't afford and don't want. I said I was busy, so she said she'd ring me again tomorrow. She doesn't know that when she rings back, I will be ready with the appropriate response - thank you, Sleep Talkin' Man, for this:

"Hey, don't... don't say anything. Why don't you put it in an email, then I can ignore it at my pleasure."

Way to go, Adam!

As one Tom Mabe discovered a long time ago, if cold callers annoy you, you're just not thinking creatively enough. I'm lost in admiration:

Getting cold calls can be a source of delight, at least if you are Tom Mabe. Because when the phone rings, it's an opportunity to torment another caller.

For Mabe, the kind of anti-cold call tactic promoted by comedian Jerry Seinfeld (telling one caller: "I'm sorry, I'm a little tied up now - give me your home number and I'll call you back later") is letting them off easy.

He makes his living by making cold callers uncomfortable.

I am not a prospect, I am a free man.