Approximately two years ago I first wrote about Marketing Insensitives. At the time, I had received a call from a telemarketer offering me some marketing insensitives to purchase a product. Yes, she really said this! She was not being clever; she just couldnt pronounce incentive.

But, Marketing Insensitives do exist! They are the unfortunate, not-thought-through, ridiculous, dumb things that businesses do that drive customers away. Here is another:

The potential customer makes a phone call

Ring, ring, ring

Automated Telephone Attendant: Thank you for calling Wonderful Widget World. Were happy that you have called. Here you will find our total selection of Wonderful Widgets along with bargains galore and expert service from our happy, healthy sales consultants all here to help you find the Wonderful Widget of your dreams. Please visit us at www.wonderfulwidgetworld.com. And please listen carefully as our selections have changed.

Press 1 if you know the extension you wish to reach
Press 2 if you want our mailing address
Press 3 to find the Wonderful Widget World near you
Press 4 if you would like to receive our Wonderful Widget World catalogue
Press 5 if you would like to receive our Wonderful Widget World special offers
Press 6 if you would like to be taken off of our Wonderful Widget World mailing list
Press 7 if you would like to be on our Wonderful Widget World mailing list
Press 8 if you would like to contact the Wonderful Widget World Safety Council
Press 9 if you would like to contact the Wonderful Widget World International Charitable Foundation
Press 10 if you would like to speak with a sales consultant
Press 11 if you would like our Wonderful Widget World Directory
Press 12 to hear a recording of our happy, healthy Wonderful Widget World sales consultants singing, We Are the World
Press 13 if you would like to a receive complimentary photograph of the team building session at our annual Wonderful Widget World retreat
Press 14 to hear these choices repeated

The potential customer presses 10 wanting to speak with a sales consultant and buy some wonderful widgets.

Automated Telephone Attendant: Thank you for calling Wonderful Widget World. No one is available to take your call. Our sales consultants are all busy, busy, busy, busy helping other customers. But, were happy that you have called. Here you will find our total selection of Wonderful Widgets along with bargains galore and expert service from our happy, healthy sales consultants all here to help you find the Wonderful Widget of your dreams. Please visit us at www.wonderfulwidgetworld.com. Please listen carefully as our selections have changed

Enough said.

Wendy Weiss

Wendy Weiss, The Queen of Cold Calling & Selling Success, is a sales trainer, sales coach and author. She helps entrepreneurs, business owners and sales professionals gain confidence, reach more prospects, close more sales and make more money. Her clients include Avon Products, ADP, Sprint and thousands of entrepreneurs throughout the country.

Wendy has been featured in BusinessWeek, Entrepreneur Magazine, Selling Power, Sales & Marketing Management and various other business and sales publications. Wendy?s e-mail newsletter, Opening Doors & Closing Sales has an international readership and her columns are syndicated to 168 different print and Internet publications.

Wendy is the author of the recently released, self-study program, Cold Calling College, and the book, Cold Calling for Women.

She is also a former ballet dancer who believes that everything she knows in life she learned in ballet class.