Do you dislike salespeople?

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When I get a cold call, if it's something I'm not interested in, I hang up or I say I'm not interested. Luckily I don't get those often. I try to hang up when they call but I can't get myself to do it because I know it's rude to hang up on people without saying 'goodbye.' But my mom told me it's not rude to just hang up when you get a cold call because it's your own phone line and they have no business to call you and harass you or make you interupt what you are doing.

I have a native distrust of salespeople. Just last week, I was helping my grandfather pick out a computer that was inexpensive yet reliable. We looked at a Dell kiosk (my grandfather likes to see and touch what he's going to buy), and the sales associates were very pushy, and I definitely didn't like it. I said I didn't want the $99 anti-virus package when he was calculating a baseline system (very expensive and my grandfather's dial-up connection couldn't get such updates to warrant a subscription anyway), and he questioned that choice. I merely said I would be installing Mozilla Firefox and some freeware spyware protectors, and then he said some BS: "Yeah, I've got that too...but Firefox doesn't include the full anti-virus protection." Obviously he didn't know what he was talking about outside his training, yet he saw fit to argue with the customer! He even said, "I'm trying to do what's best for you, the person who's actually buying it," to my grandfather, trying to create some division between us! We ultimately didn't end up buying from Dell, and the bad salesman was one factor.

Known long before I knew about AS that sales types — glad-handing, suck-up, phoney, über-NTs (the frat boys and sorority b*****s all grown up) — and I mix like oil and water.

Regrettably when you're saddled with something like AS working for a bunch of women in the back room of a library can be just as treacherous as I learnt once a long time ago.

Anyway, even aged (almost) 40 and knowing about AS for six years these people can still screw me - just like they do other NTs.

Recently my car's transmission started acting up - a light on the dash started flashing - after about 100K miles. For convenience (first mistake) I took it to the slightly sales-assholish chain-garage near work (second mistake), who told me to take it to a chain transmission shop (third mistake).

Once I was there this just-outta-college sales type told me they had to take the transmission apart to see what was wrong. Goodbye, $$.

Then when that was done - basically they had my car as a hostage - he sales-pitched me. Knew I was in trouble when he was using my first name every few minutes. Patronising as*hole. He gave his game away when he said he used to work for a dealer. They're famous rip-off artists. He pitched me two expensive options (he lied and said they were the only choices) but at least I kept bugging him till he admitted they could put in a used one for less money.

But a typical AS thing happened. I didn't want to deal with that s**t person so I got a ride into that town and waited all afternoon the day he said the car'd be ready. Sure enough it wasn't. Mini-meltdown. At least I told him to stop calling me by my first name. FWIW. Of course with as*holes like that this doesn't really work... he was just as patronising afterwards but conscientiously always called Mr Surname instead.

Got back at him the next day. It's fun when you're rude on purpose for effect, which I was to throw this person off his stupid little internal script:

'Hello, Mr Surname, this is Brian at Cottman Transmission. How are you?'

'None of your business!'

Dead silence for about two full minutes, literally. As good as decking him. (He was twice my size.) f*****g brilliant. Priceless!

Then I asked to talk to the owner and complained that this kid lied to me about the options. Should have said he's patronising and obnoxious as well but was too upset in AS fashion to think straight. You know how it is.

Anyway the owner seemed a kind man and even knocked $100 off the price for my troubles.

But the kid kept right on patronising me. Should have literally said 'Don't patronise me'. Oh, well. Something to remember in future.

Anyway, if you're in North America, drive and the transmission goes bad, DON'T go to one of those chain shops like Cottman. They suck. (Yes, my car works again but it wasn't worth the grief.) Find an honest independent mechanic and stick with him.

I believe that The Monkees have recorded a song about this, in the Late 1960s.

I don't care for the pushy ones, but on the other hand, I am a bit envious of their ability to strike up a conversation with anyone...

I hate pushy sales people. I also hate it when I'm in a store and someone comes up and starts chatting away.

And my dad is about ten times worse. Not that he'd ever let them know it.


My approach, is that I politely try and end the conversation first. And I gradually get more and more vicious.
"Hi! This computer is a great deal it has a bla bla bla <misrepresented technology> <lack of understanding>"
*almost driven nuts because of the push*
"I'm not interested."
"You don't want to get left behind on the information super highway do you?"
"If I want to buy something, I will."
<Cliches/Push>
"If I want to buy something, <em>I'll</em> be the one that decides it."
<More push>
"If you don't leave me alone, I'm going to throw you onto the Information Superhighway so you get run down by a car. Hell, maybe I'll just run you down with a real car."
<pause>
"And I'll wear your skin."
<slowly walks away>
"Oh hey, it's the new ultra gorey first person shooter game! And people say those make kids violent."
<scare the clerk with my blank emotionless face, walk out of store>

A good salesman can sell snow to the eskimos was an expression i always thought was true.

car dealers can be the wotst they tried pressuring me into a car i really didn't want, sating i would have low monthly payments without actually stating the full price of the car.

at that point I walked out of the dealership and the sales manaer and the sales person acutally chased me out in the parking lot trying to get me to change my mind. I thought that was funny

that place was so obnoxious they would announce over the loud speaker whenever someone would buy a car "congrautlations to so and so for buying a chevy colbat" lol give me a break

As a rule, I tend to dislike salesmen due to the fact that they can be really pushy, as well as ill informed to the technical nature of what they are actually selling. --This happens alot when I'm in the market for electronic goods.

I'd like to reiterate that most salesmen are quite ill trained as to what they are actually selling, but also would like to add that most salesmen are also payed minimum wage, but also recieve a commission on what they sell, hence the high pressure tactics that they employ. -- Unfortunately, many of them resort to outright lying in order to make their commission.

I don't like going on my own to small shops. I feel like the salespeople are staring at me and invading the privacy of my mind. But at the same time I feel kind of sorry for them. I think for the most part they don't like the job especially and just do it because they have to, for food and rent.