I am aware of these guys using your details but be assured that they use yell.com and the likes too. And if you had a website etc you'd eventually end up on their 'database'.
ALWAYS say no, out of principle alone to cold callers, especially ones going against the terms of OUR websites.
There's a thread in the
tiling forum which is designed to help other members not get fooled by these fools so before your swear and put the phone down on them please ask for their name and business name - get a little info then swear and put the phone down, then write those details you got in the thread in the tiling forum and we should help dumb down on these calls.
Note that if you do fancy taking up ANY of the offers... (i've been a 'cold-call seller' and they can be persuasive at the right time when you're in the right mood and they say the right things) .... get details and PM, Email me or post in the forum and I'll do my bloody best to find you the same offer from a reputable company.
And note. That if I thought such an offer could exist, i'd probably be offering it you myself as part of the forum package.... and if I don't (or a sponsors I've found doesn't) then it's probably a load of tosh anyway.
I am sorry to see Find Trusted Tradesmen mentioned in the same post as 'unwanted calls' but from a positive point it only means it's possible to find your details, which means customers should be finding them too.
Find trusted tradesmen was the first FREE directory of its type, out of many! And I don't rip you off, I actually sit up for hours on end optimising the listing on the site that look appealing and attractive (ones with images, plenty of text, land lines not just mobiles... etc) to ensure you do get seen.
I've even helped forum members with their own website rankings to better their possible online presence, all for nowt.
Again, unfortunately these calls will come though as these companies simply search online for their databases if they can't but one already from a company that has searched for your details.
Just ALWAYS say no EVEN IF YOU WANT IT - and come here and I'll get it you.
Sorry once again but please note it's not a fault with FTT, it's simply the evidence that it's working and people are finding companies.
ALSO! Don't be fooled by 'insurance companies' or 'tradesmen agencies' that claim they have jobs waiting for you or can guarantee X amount of work and are asking for cash - tell them to pi$$ off. Tell them that FTT is working on it's own thanks and you're busy as hell and obviously you can be found already online as they have called you and are speaking to you.
PM me if you want to ask anything. I can help in MANY ways.
I certainly can't turn off the system, people are getting good genuine jobs from it and it's only just really stated to rank well. The only thing I could do is offer something like Rated Tradesmen which is chargeable and not my style.
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p.s.
This is the link to the thread to add cold callers to.
http://www.tilersforums.com/tiling-forum/3909-cold-callers-list-names-dont-give.html
Whether they claim to be insurance, contractors, even mentioning brand names and bluechip companies in their initial openning speach such as BT, yell, google etc - just get their details and post them.
A trick I used when trading from a personal address was to say "I'm registered with the TPS, FPS and MPS and you shouldn't be calling me, what's your name and the company you work for again?" - used to work all the time. TPS (telephone preference service) can register you home phone and cold calling companies have to pay to clear their databases monthly of numbers in the TPS. If they don't clean one month (and often they don't - if they last one month over the date the person registered with the TPS - in their minds they know that nobody else will be calling that person and that they should have better conversion stats due to that reason so they all do it an extra month or two at least - so they take notice of this sentence and quickly erase your number from the database in most cases.
Fact: Fines of minimum 2k are dished out with no quibble when you do actually report it and can prove the incoming call! - they don't even leave the call long enogh for you to grab a pen in most cases.
Best calls I get with my business phones (I have a few with similar numbers so they all ring withing a few days from the same company so I can be prepared) is "Hi i'm from orange and your contract is due up soon I believe?" I say "Is it then?" They say "So you're on contract with orange then?" I say "Am I?" - and just carry this on, as they're typing away adding details to their database as you answer. Often 'early 18 month contract upgrades' can be done on any phone older than 6 months. So they are simply testing to find your renewal date. With a 50/50 chance of getting somebody with a contract that's half way through it's 12 month term, and often getting a sale - whilst orange actually don't cold call like this at all. Only Vodafone and 02 (or old BT Cellnet) which are subsidised networks. Orange and Three (or old One2One) both have their own stores which are not franchises and can upgrade you there and then whereas 02 and vodafone you'll get robbed via 3rd party providers and connectors all the time.
Sorry for waffling. lol
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NOTE AGAIN!
If you have any suggestions as to where we go with FTT then please let me know. We have the largest database of tilers both time served and new and it's free for the customer and tiler to use with these drawbacks.
If you think it would be worth me doing something so your numbers don't get displayed then suggest how it could be operated and i'll do it.
If I started booking jobs though and then dishing them out, that would be labour intensive and would need to be charged for. Something I've not wanted to do with the forum or the sister sites.
I have thought about only allowing potential customers to use an email function and not call you. They'd perhaps find your listing, click it, read about you, click contact and fill in a few simple details for you to call them back. But I'd feat they'd sit there emailing you all in that area and then you'd be fighting over the price. Wheras if they call you and get you, there's slim chance of them keep looking for more if you sell yourself well and they like you.
It's a bit of a catch 22.
I did think about putting "DONT USE THESE NUMBERS TO COLD CALL - THESE TILERS DONT DO BUSINESS WITH COLD CALLERS" or something, but I doubt that would stop the struggling commision based sallery enthusiastic salesperson getting numbers to stick in their autodialers.
If I started to make the site now, knowing it would be as popular as it is I'd certainly consider sticking extra features in, and having a free AND paid listing option but introducing something now late in its stages would just damages its rep'.
The ONLY bad feedback I have has is from tilers getting cold calls. The positive side of that again is the fact that you must be abe to be seen then hey?
New nieve tilers just sign up to too much to soon. Pay for nothing guys, workd smart not hard, PLAN PLAN PLAN and have something to say to these pricks BEFORE they get to you.
If you never had a caller call your tiling business before registering on FTT then god only knows where you were advertising. - no offence intended... just trying to get the many types of members with many types of views to understand here.
