FORUM
^ ??
What are you selling?
Nigel Alston
Moll vatiunal
Moments
"First you jump off the
cliff and you build your w ings
on the way down."
- Ray Bradbury
1 was working away at my
computer, drinking a cup of
coffee, when the phone rang.
That's not unusual. It rings
often during the course of a
day. It was mid-morning and
fairly quiet up to that point. I
stopped what I was doing,
reached for the phone and
answered the call.
The caller identified her
self, her company and imme
diately proceeded to inform
me that she was not trying to
sell me anything.
"Yeah, right." I thought to
myself, mentally preparing for
a sales pitch. "Why not tell me
why you called instead of
what the call isn't?"
1 imagipe she has heard the
" sound of a telephone receiver
hanging up on the other endc.
without getting through her
script. That's what I'm
inclined to do when I hear the
words "This is not a sales
call."
I have heard way too many
of these lines. At the end of
the call, it's a sales call. "Let
us send you a free copy of (so
and-yy publication." they will
say. for example. "If you don't
like it after the first two
issues, write cancel on the
invoice and you owe us noth
ing."
This call was different. It
was a research call, according
to the caller, who had been
informed that I was the person
with the answers. She didn't
ask if I had time to respond or
if another time would be more
appropriate. She simply took it
for granted and proceeded
full-speed ahead to get what
she wanted.
"Which answer best
describes your...?"
"Wait a minute." I am
thinking to myself. "Who are
you?" I asked. "And what
company did you say you are
representing?"
She repeated the informa
tion. anxious to get start&S
w ith the questions again.
"Why arc you doing this
research?" 1 wanted to know
before sharing any informa
tion.
Here is a "no-sales" sales
call, masquerading as
research. Before allowing her
to resume asking questions. I
wanted to know one thing. 1
thought it was a reasonable
request: how long would it
take to answer the questions?
She didn't answer. "1 was
told you were the person who
handles advertising and could
answer these questions." she
told me again.
If someone wants informa
tion from me. wants to sell me
something or to interest me in
trying a product, at least
address me by my name, ask
me if I have time to answer a
few questions and tell me what
the call is about. A little com
mon courtesy is a minimum.
1 was trying to help her by
understanding what she want
ed and why. I could have
saved us both some time. She
had interrupted me and I was
not helping her.
Usually, by this time all I
want to know is the bottom
line. Stop reading the script.
What are you selling? Why are
you calling? What do you
want? That's the result of too
many calls at work and at
home, at all times of day. With
a few exceptions. I tell the
caller - most likely a telemar
keter - that I appreciate the
call and will give the caller the
opportunity to call someone
else.
And then I give them the
"weakest link" response:
Goodbye!
Before I could get to that
point with this caller, she was
pressing forward with her
questions. "Are you head of
marketing... advertising...?"
and so on down her list of
titles.
"No. I am not." I answered,
to her surprise. I didn't fit in
any of the boxes she had read
from her list.
"I guess you can't help
me." sheQaid. Whether I had
that authority to or not. she
didn't see the need to continue
her research.
Who w as 1 to argue?
Nigel Alston is a radio talk
show host, columnist' and
motivational speaker. Visit his
Weh site at www.motivational
moments.com. o
The minority-majority game
James
Clingman
[
Guest
^ Columnist
Some black people have been
so well programmed thai they
have allowed themselves to be
thrown into this vast category
called "minorities." and are the
only ones leading the fight to
"level the playing field" (an over
used and meaningless term) for all
so-called minority groups. Some
of us also refer to ourselves with
that despicable term despite the
fact that w e comprise the majority
of the population in some cities.
How could you even use the
term for yourself, as a black per
son. if you live in a city where
more than half of the citizens are
black? I was participating in a
panel discussion in one of these
cities where blacks outnumber
whites, and I heard a brother who
lives in that city refer to his people
as "minorities."
Our dear brother Walter
Smith, publisher of the New York
Beacon newspaper, in an editorial
in the June 27-July 3. 1996. edi
tion. cited a very important point.
He said. "We are the only ethnic
group in America w ho are defined
by our deficiencies. The word that
most defines us is ?minority.'" He
went on to give more "deficien
cy" information by citing the data
such as annual household income
and our "minority" stake, as black
people, in the total American
economy.
We have fallen hook. line, and
sinker for this minority thing, and
we are paying for it every day.
The folks on tjie City Council of
San Diego recently called for a
ban on the terni "minority." Tiki
bad others haven't followed their
lead.
Now here's the real kicker.
The term "minority" is often used
by those in power to keep v arious
ethnic groups in constant compe
tition for that proverbial "piece of
the pie." They set up efforts called
economic inclusion for minorities
and include themselves by adding
white females to the mix - and
black folks lead the charge in sup
port of such nbnsense. Since
whpn have white females suffered
from discrimination and injus
tice? Since Susan B. Anthony?
And if white females have suf
fered. then they need to have a
heart-to-heart talk w ith their white
men. many of whom may be their
husbands.
Check out the "minority" pro
grams in corporate America.
L(x>k at w ho is at the helm of such
offices in chambers of commerce.
Even worse, more times than not.
these positions are occupied by
black folks, some of whom are
afraid, or at least reluctant, to even
use the word "black" or the term
"African-American." They say
things such as. "We want eco
nomic inclusion for minorities,
small businesses and females."
They never get around to standing
up for their ow n people and say
ing what they w ant for black peo
pie.
Back when the 13th. 14th and
15th amendments were written,
everyone knew they were enacted
for black people, pot minorities.
We all know that sb-called affir
mative action was established for
black people because of past
unfairness and mistreatment, not
?
for white females and other
"minorities." What went wrong,
folks? Why do we allow our num
bers and ourselves to be dispersed
and misused?
The other very important con
sideration is this: What Pat
Buchanan writes (and fears) in his
book "The Death of the West."
and what our dear sister Francis
Cress-WelsingL wrote in "The Isis
Papers." is fast becoming a reali
ty. In the aggregate, all so-called
minority groups in this country
will soon comprise the majority.
Just as blacks comprise a majority
in some cities and still call them
selves minorities, certain ethnic
groups collectively allow them
selves to be called minorities even
though they are moving swiftly
toward becoming the majority, as
Buchanan is sounding the alarm
on all the talk shows.
This farce that has been creat
ed and perpetrated against black
people should be stopped. And it
will be stopped only when black
people stop it. Why would we
allow others to place us in this
"minority" category, along with
white females in some cases,
especially w hen most of us know
it is not for our benefit? It simply
helps the establishment to main
tain the status quo and to keep '
doling out small portions of the
wealth and resources of this
nation to "minority groups."
Resist the title of minority.
You are much better than that.
Rebuff anyone w ho refers to you
as a minority. It carries no bene
fits. It only stigmatizes. Stop
being timid when it comes to
speaking up for your own people.
Stop saying "minority" when you
really mean "black."
Check all the statistics, folks.
We are on the bottom, even
among so-called "minority"
groups, when it comes to net
worth, median income, unem
ployment, and other negatives,
We are on the top among so
called "minority" groups when it
comes to annual spending power
($600 billion!. Don't you think
there is something drastically
wrong w ith that picture? We must
help ourselves before we can help
anyone else, so get oft this minor
ity kick, brothers and sisters, and
get about the business of helping
your own people - black people.
By the way. who will be the
minority 40 to 50 years from
now? May be that's the end game
for the use of the term "minority."
Hmmm.
KRT Photo
Students at this California high school illustrate the nation's growing diversity.
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