DecentGolfer69

Sales and Business Development Consultant

Valued Contributor

Fire Starter

Good Citizen

Maybe I'm just too nice of a person but this is the second time I've fallen for a "business connection" that turns out being someone trying to hard sell shitty insurance and shit to me...

Any tips on how to politely tell them to fuck off and try again elsewhere?

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19 comments

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NotCreativeEnough

Big Shot

Professional Day Ruiner

just say no thanks and move on. In the end, they're a salesperson just like the rest of us and are doing their outreach however they can to get leads.

DecentGolfer69

Valued Contributor

Sales and Business Development Consultant

fair enough

poweredbycaffeine

WR Lieutenant

☕️

Stop accepting requests that don’t send you a note with a specific reason to connect.

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

What business connection do you mean? Via LinkedIn or some other platform?

DecentGolfer69

Valued Contributor

Sales and Business Development Consultant

people i meet via networking events and IRL. IT's easier to weed them out online IMO, but in-person seems harder when they say they want to meet again to talk business and it turns out to be insurance. Guess I need to probe more on the spot

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

#1 reason I don't go to networking events. It's real life LI hustling. :)

jefe

Arsonist

🍁

Oof.. Get that all the time on LI but you can usually smell it from a mile away.

In person? Brutal

CuriousFox

WR Officer

🦊

Block button?

funcoupons

WR Officer

👑

Don't ever accept a further conversation/meeting until you know what it's about. "I want to talk business." Great, what kind of business do you want to discuss? If they won't give you a straight answer, that is your straight answer.

SaaSam

Politicker

Account Executive

If you met these guys in person just shoot straight and tell them you're not in the market.

If online I've stopped trying to let people down softly. I'll just respond "not interested" if I choose to respond at all.

I have little patience for salesmen who cross lines that I wouldn't cross. This is one of them. I rarely, if ever, solicit on LinkedIn. If I connect with a prospect it's after we've actually spoken and even then, I don't talk shop on social.

DecentGolfer69

Valued Contributor

Sales and Business Development Consultant

well said thanks for the input mane

Justatitle

Big Shot

Account Executive

Ask what business they want to discuss on the spot and if it’s insurance tell them you’re set

TennisandSales

Politicker

Head Of Sales

anyone that comes asks to be my connection on LI that I dont know, I ask:

"thanks for connecting! how did you come across my profile?"

and if they say anything like "saw we are in the same industry"

"LI suggested we connect"

"I like your background. "

"I immediately remove the connection"

SADNESSLieutenant

Politicker

Officer of ♥️

'politely, not interested, thanks.'

FinanceEngineer

Politicker

Sr Director, sales and partnerships

I always ask what the meeting is about. when I see it is something like this, I thank them, and tell them I’m not interested. That gets most of them to back down. If they push, block and report them.

FormerStartupJobHopper

Tycoon

Maybe it's cause I'm an introvert/not afraid to hurt feelings lol but seems like the issue is taking meetings you don't know what they're about. I feel like you probably could have seen it coming that they were trying to sell you something. What does "talk business" even mean?

ChunkyButters

Tycoon

Me....thinking DecentGolfer69 is falling in love with shitty insurance sales people

JDialz

Politicker

Chief Operating Officer

Could I interest you in some non-shitty insurance?

Pachacuti

Politicker

-1

They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy

Lets be honest, every time I speak with someone at a conference, pick up the phone, or send an email - its to sell something to someone. I don't sell insurance but we all get lumped into the same boat regardless of what we sell. Its just the game.

We can all try to be "consultative" or whatever buzzword people want to use today, but in the end - sales is sales and we're all trying to 'hard sell' something to someone.

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