The Pitfalls of Trying to Help

I have an interesting job. At least it's interesting to me. Major life changes at forty-five can be unsettling, and mine were. So I relocated to a new city and got myself a new job kinda' related to my past work history. Most of my adult life has been spent selling something. So now I do pretty much the same thing; just different. Now I'm in the construction business, or at least on the fringe.

I got a job with a company called The Rice Report. I had never heard of it, although it's been around since 1992, but that's probably due to the fact that I've never had anything to do with construction. Now, as a salesman I know the value of a good sales lead. So does The Rice Report; it's what we do. My position now is as the manager of the editorial department, and here is my conundrum. All my department does is contact general contractors in the regions we service and offer them the FREE opportunity to list jobs they have and what sub-contractors they need bids from. Sounds simple enough doesn't it? Well in this world of Internet scams, and identity theft it's not simple at all.

Now you generals out there already know what I've discovered, and that is that you guys are busy; busy, and more than a little distrustful of anyone trying to solicit you over the phone. So imagine my frustration. Here I am trying to help you guys by listing your jobs and having good subs contact you to bid, and I have to fight to get you to list with us.

The key of course is in the opener. I've got about three seconds to introduce myself, and put your fears and irritation at rest. Therefore many of you may have heard something like "This is Brian with The Rice Report. I'M NOT TRYING TO SELL YOU ANYTHING!" Then I take a deep breathe and begin my explanation. Odds are that by this point the person is at least listening to me. If I can get the general to listen to me for about three minutes without any distractions then I can usually get them to understand what's happening and give us the lead if they have one.

However, sometimes I get objections, sometimes accompanied by profanity, and for the life of me I can't figure out why. Even after learning that our service is FREE for them; some generals still balk at giving us any information. I chalk it up to typical American paranoia. However, if you're a general in one of our regions, and you have a different explanation give me a call at The Rice Report and we can talk about it. Maybe you'll give me a lead.