After the phone call today I started to notice a disturbing trend in the sales calls I've recently been receiving at work. I used to get calls from sales people who were knowledgeable in what they were talking about, who could hold a conversation with you and know what you were saying. Lately, however, the calls have been from young, unknowledgeable females who say things like "I don't know" and "I'm so stupid!" and can't explain to me why their site listing is any better than a Google listing.

While my initial response was disbelief that this person is knowingly representing this company, that this company has actually hired and asked cheap, inexperienced, untrained talent people to represent them, I had a second thought: Maybe they're pure genius.

That's right, pure genius! I became so frustrated with this girl's nonstop bickering and self-proclaimed lack of knowledge about the industry ("What industry are you in again? Packaging? Is that right?") that though initially I was going to tell her I wasn't interested, I actually scheduled a meeting with her supervisor, who she claims is much more knowledgeable about "the industry" because "She does this stuff more than I do." I can't fathom why, because I'm not interested at all, but her appeal of "It's only 15 minutes" and her saying "You're a Marketing Director? I want to get into marketing, I'm only a college student now" made me feel enough pity that she was stuck with a cold-calling telemarketing job that I didn't want to hurt her feelings by saying no, which I was ready to say 15 minutes ago, before she hit her 2,694th "um."

So I'm thinking this "major company" she represents that I've never heard of either has their heads way up their ass or they are the smartest company in the entire world and we should be waiting and salivating over the prospect of an IPO. Maybe this was a highly trained salesperson who has tailored her approach in a psychological manner to make you feel guilty and think if you say NO she'll cry right here on the phone and I'll have to deal with that mess. That, or maybe she's just another fucking annoying salesperson.