Show me a better rejection... I'll wait

I realize similar posts have been shared (as recently as yesterday: https://bravado.co/war-room/posts/funniest-prospecting-rejections), but this response is the most aggressive, brutal rejection I have seen at my company. I had to share.


For context, the rep who was prospecting this person was very successful, eloquent, and a solid SDR. Always very thoughtful and respectful. 


Also worth noting, the emailer here took the time to one-by-one add every person at my several hundred-person company to the To: heading.


I understand rejection is part of the job description and @GeneralCorp has shared great cold calls, but the fact that some dude spent probably more than an hour to write this up is outrageous to me. I guess it makes sense that this guy was a Director of Marketing, plenty of time on his hands. 

_________


*Name of rep and company has been changed*


To Jenny and the rest of this company,


I highly suggest that you find a better sales tactic than the one you're currently using. Cold outreach e-mail spam is one thing, but leaving me multiple voicemails and lying that you connected with another coworker who "referred" me to you, is completely ridiculous.


No Jenny - I'm 900% never, ever, ever going to use your service. Not on your first e-mail, or your second voicemail, or your event invite. Not when you harass another coworker multiple times, then lie saying she recommended I talk to you. Not if you choose a number similar to my area code when calling me. I know someone mistakenly told you it was a good sales tactic, but I'm not suddenly going to have a change of heart when it's a call from my hometown. My brain isn't gonna go - "wait, this random annoying girl who's been e-mailing and calling me, unprovoked, every single day, is suddenly piquing my interest because she's calling from a 732 number!" I'm not available and I never will be, Jenny.


I would actually Venmo your company three dollars to make sure I never have to see Jenny in my inbox, shouting follow-up requests into the abyss like we've actually spoken before.


It made me wonder if these tactics actually work on people, because you probably wouldn't keep doing it if it didn't work at least once, right? Like if you go on a bad date and you repeatedly tell the person "you like me." over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again, eventually that person is going to have so much brain damage they will say "yes." That's what Company must be doing.


Or maybe you're more like a person who sits down at a table next to a stranger and he's like "who are you?" and you say "I'm your girlfriend." and he goes "No, we've never met before." and you reply back 'I'm your girlfriend." You just keep saying "I'm your girlfriend." over and and over and over until he either gives in or fakes his own death.


Anyway, this has been fun. I'm not brain damaged enough to say yes to you Jenny, but I will look back longingly on the hyper-annoying 1-way conversation where you unsuccessfully tried to dupe me into believing you mattered.


Leave us all alone.

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70
hh456
Celebrated Contributor
42
sales
Tell him you're sorry his wife left him for Chet from accounting but you don't need to take it out on sales reps. 
mitts2
Politicker
27
Account Executive
We found this dude on Instagram after awhile and it was a myriad of gym mirror pics and thirst traps. Almost seemed fake but sadly it was real
hh456
Celebrated Contributor
8
sales
#shitness #shitnessmotiviation #love #health #shitfam #shitlife #follow #personalshamer #crossshit
DataSlangah
Politicker
9
SAE
I would literally start a gofundme to send "Jenny" to this guy's town and get a gym pass for her to start working out next to him and strike up a convo with him.
SaaSsy
Politicker
4
AE
haha of course! Steroids cause misdirected and uncontrollable anger.
ValliantInvestors
Good Citizen
1
Founder
Spot on!

Madridgal
Executive
0
Manager Corporate Partnerships
LOL 
someoneinsales
Tycoon
34
Director of Sales
She should of responded with her Venmo and said the fee to be removed from the list is $5 not $3.
mitts2
Politicker
2
Account Executive
So petty I love it
RedLightning
Politicker
3
Mid-Market AE
No, his time apparently has so little value that in his mind it's better to spend hours on this petty email than spend $3
someoneinsales
Tycoon
3
Director of Sales
When someone spends this amount of time to write something this intense, it makes me laugh when they say I dont have time to meet. So a sarcastic or asshole response is the only logical thing to do :). 
saaskicker
Celebrated Contributor
26
Enterprise AE
If someone sat next to me and said "I'm your girlfriend" that would be ideal. 
mitts2
Politicker
1
Account Executive
audibly laughed at this comment
Fenderbaum
Politicker
1
Retired Choirboy🪕
Same here!
SaaSam
Politicker
16
Account Executive
Drop the dude's name and let the WR put him on blast. Or just sign up for a bunch of shit using his email and phone number so for the rest of eternity he has people calling about his vehicle's extended warranty.
mitts2
Politicker
5
Account Executive
Yessss. I would love to drop his name and let savages go to work. The vehicle warranty reference kills me
Incognito
WR Officer
0
Master of Disaster
And truecar and pharmacy USA - don’t forget!
UrAssIsSaaS
Arsonist
4
SaaS Eater
This is savage and I absolutely love it
RandoSalesGuy
Opinionated
1
AE
Glad somebody said this because I was about to. I'll happily add his email to a few mailing lists.....
paddy
WR Officer
12
Director of Business Development
If you publicly shame on LinkedIn I’m happy to give him a virtual skull fucking in honor of Jenny.
mitts2
Politicker
1
Account Executive
my man.
CoorsKing
WR Officer
11
Retired King of the Coors Knights
Well no wonder he had so much time to write that out. People in marketing have their heads so far up their asses they think the only way to do business is “to have marketing influence people to come inbound”. No, Rand, maybe you should spend less time in the bongo circle and walk around YOUR sales floor and see how real men/women work. 

He definitely is the type of person to cry when he orders his double iced chai latte
Robot
Politicker
11
AE (Account Executive)
Robot loved this.

I would have sent a reply and cc'd their CSO/COO and said something to the extent of: I agree, this has been a one-way discussion, but it seems there is a deeper problem than what is at the surface. My understanding is that "insert monolog of their challenges that clients like themselves have been facing". Do you "insert CSO/COO's name" think these problems will go away by getting me to dismiss my efforts?

Boom...

RedLightning
Politicker
7
Mid-Market AE
What was he trying to prove with that $3 remark? Also, the irony of a marketer complaining about being invited to a webinar is incredible. 
InQ5WeTrust
Arsonist
6
No marketing, mayo isn't an MQL
Wow, this is art. 

I am just impressed. 

Do you have his physical address? If so, may I suggest a glitter bomb? 
mitts2
Politicker
1
Account Executive
I know his city and with enough IG stalking could probably figure out his gym or something....
poweredbycaffeine
WR Lieutenant
6
☕️
"Are you an accredited investor? I can get you in on our next round of funding with that $3!"
Justatitle
Big Shot
5
Account Executive
This guys name is Todd isn’t it he seems like a Todd 
mitts2
Politicker
1
Account Executive
Honestly, you are not far off
Justatitle
Big Shot
4
Account Executive
I don’t see why people feel the need to do this. I’m looking for a yes or a no. Ignoring my email is only going to make me reach out more. 
goose
Politicker
1
Sales Executive
This seems like such a fucked up way to earn a living.
Justatitle
Big Shot
1
Account Executive
Much like hockey, you need to have a few screws loose to get into sales…
goose
Politicker
0
Sales Executive
I disagree but that's not my point.  
TheNegotiator
Arsonist
5
VP of Sales
Fair enough. Again, not fighting you on it, just playing devil’s advocate. . If I make a cold call to the person I think will be DM on what I sell, and he’s like “hmm, interesting but I’m not the guy, you should talk to John”….that’s not a reference. Especially if I leave VMs or emails to that effect saying I was recommended/referred, I have to assume that John will ask my original guy what all of this correspondence is about, and if that person endorses my company before ever getting back to me. Being pointed in the right direction is not the same as being recommended/endorsed. At that point, if I’ve been stating that I was “referred” then the way the prospect sees it, I’ve been caught in a lie. I think we can agree that doesn’t make a good impression. . I would personally never do that, and I will go so far as to say that’s an outright tactical error. Now, with that said, I don’t KNOW that that’s what your team has been doing, but if it is, that’s my take on it. . If you’re actually inviting people to a Michelin star dinner, that’s dope. And aggressive sales tactics? I’m all about it. I’ve said and done absolutely outrageous shit to close deals, and I’d do it again as long as I know the reward outweighs the risk and I can manage the fallout of the situation does go bad. . And there’s no arguing that this POS could’ve shown some decency in his rejection, but the situation potentially isn’t black and white. He definitely overreacted and your colleague could be 100% in the right. But if that’s not the case, you’re doing yourself a disservice by not breaking down the situation objectively and determining if you guys may actually want to change the messaging. . Again, all purely theoretical from me. Without seeing the full cadence/knowing all the deets I can’t say shit for certain.
mitts2
Politicker
3
Account Executive
For sure, I appreciate the thoughtful opinion here. I agree with you on just about everything you said. The reference / referred stuff is definitely a blurred line and its not something I lean on heavily in my outbounding unless I feel confident I won't get a response like this. Thanks for the objectivity. 

PS. Ya we have done a few Michelin star dinners. Not super common but they are dooope.
UrAssIsSaaS
Arsonist
3
SaaS Eater
Curious how you would intro if you talked to John and John said to speak to Ben. IMO it doesnt seem that far fetched to say "I recently spoke with John and he recommended I reach out to you on this topic"
TheNegotiator
Arsonist
3
VP of Sales
"He recommended I speak to you" is worlds apart from "I think you'll find he recommends us"

I don't want to get into semantics of how you guys phrase it, but the actual difference in the messaging is MILES apart, and anyone with 1/9th of a brain knows the difference.  If you're saying one, when it is in fact the other, you should rightfully expect to piss some people off.  That is ALL I'm trying to say.
UrAssIsSaaS
Arsonist
3
SaaS Eater
Woah... ya I agree with you. Was wondering if I was missing something but my 1/9 of a brain can tell that apart. 
TheNegotiator
Arsonist
1
VP of Sales
Bruh, we're in sales.  We're all working with 4/10 or less
UrAssIsSaaS
Arsonist
4
SaaS Eater
Sadly I would expect nothing better from the marketing team. If only they spent this amount of time and effort on driving legit SQLs...
CuriousFox
WR Officer
4
🦊
Why only 3 dollars?
mitts2
Politicker
4
Account Executive
probably all he has. spent everything else on kombucha, creatine, and banana hammocks
goose
Politicker
1
Sales Executive
Always curious...
ADudeBeingAGuy
Politicker
3
Account Executive
Jenny should add this to her resume because this is absolute gold
mitts2
Politicker
0
Account Executive
She was a good rep. Unfortunately she ended up moving to Customer Succes
ADudeBeingAGuy
Politicker
4
Account Executive
If cosmic justice is real this prospect will eventually become a customer and Jenny can have her revenge 
UrAssIsSaaS
Arsonist
2
SaaS Eater
Oh man how good would it be to have her run his OB and just make his life hell. Give him just enough so he cant churn but so little he wants to end it every day
ADudeBeingAGuy
Politicker
3
Account Executive
HEEEEEEERE'S JENNY
goose
Politicker
0
Sales Executive
Where she probably belongs tbh
mitts2
Politicker
1
Account Executive
The fuck does this mean?
goose
Politicker
0
Sales Executive
Not everyone is cut out for sales.  Sometimes the prospect is a douchebag.  Sometimes the sales person isn't good enough.  I read the email.  Seems like the prospect took a shitty approach.  That doesn't mean they are wrong.

What do I know?
SADNES5
Politicker
3
down voters are marketing spies
REPLY ALL:

OKAY BOOMER
mitts2
Politicker
1
Account Executive
LOL
TheNegotiator
Arsonist
3
VP of Sales
Excessive. However if the sales tactics referred are accurate, maybe not THAT excessive. . We all use the Ins we can get to generate new business, but claiming someone else recommended or referred, talking about an endorsement you don’t have, etc, is a great way to rub someone the wrong way. . Especially when you discover after the fact that this guys a frat-bro dickhead with nothing better to do than shit on salespeople. . We all get rejections, I’m so grateful for them, they make me laugh. But as salespeople we have responsibility to have our tactics down tight. You invite unnecessary (more than the usual) negativity if you’re going to deviate. . Without knowing the full story it’s impossible to say one way or the other.
mitts2
Politicker
2
Account Executive
Appreciate your perspective and thanks for sharing. 

I am going to defend the rep because as a team we looked into the mechanics of her cadence and how she prospected this guy. Nothing out of the ordinary and all tactics that everyone on the team was using on a day to day. This guy over-exaggerated significantly in his email. Our girl did have a reference (via call if I remember correctly) and was directed to this guy from another employee. She was not claiming a reference without having one (she was smarter than that). 

Sure our cadence is / was on the aggressive side but I'm not gonna apologize for inviting you to a 3 star Michelin dinner when this dick head had ample opportunities to turn down the offer in a more respectful way. Honestly doesn't even need to be respectful lol, just not in a demeaning, "I'm trying to ruin your life" kind of way.
ZeroGrit
Valued Contributor
1
VP of Hoping My Emails Find You Well
THIS!!! She is lucky to have someone have her back like this. Fuck yes. I would honestly write to his boss with how inappropriate of a response this was and how uncalled for it is. Imagine if this was done to one of their reps? It’s fucked
CloudyWithAChanceOfQuota
Politicker
3
Corporate AE
So not to encourage bad behavior but I have *heard* that if you put someone's info into the scientology interest form on their website, the emails never stop...........just what I've heard......
Irishman
Catalyst
3
Business Consultant
I got this one recently for trying to inject a bit of humour into proceedings (about not being this ignored since I was trying to find a date to the prom):

"This is by far the worst sales email I have every received in my life and you should be ashamed of yourself. I hope your boss knows the emails you are sending to prospects and shuts this down. Please do not ever email me again."

Funny enough it was my boss who suggested using it!! Ha! For the record, I wasn't ashamed of myself, just saddened that there is so little humor in the world and people take themselves too seriously...
mitts2
Politicker
0
Account Executive
Love the effort, brought a smile to my face
Irishman
Catalyst
1
Business Consultant
In fairness, it was after 15+ calls and 15+ emails so I was happy with any response, good or bad!! :-)
cw95
Politicker
2
Sales Development Lead
Jesssssusss, I hope they sent him a good reply asking for a meeting again!
mitts2
Politicker
8
Account Executive
My VP actually did respond and asked if this guy ever indicated or responded asking to be removed from our outbounding. Obviously he did not. And then our VP proceeded to offer a call to talk it out lol. 
cw95
Politicker
0
Sales Development Lead
Sorry didn’t see this! That’s a good VP there!
UrAssIsSaaS
Arsonist
2
SaaS Eater
That is world class rejection. 
mitts2
Politicker
1
Account Executive
elite
Avon
Politicker
2
Senior Account Executive
Everytime I get one of these I respond "A simple no would have sufficed"
Hotlead
Politicker
2
Producer
You cant even be mad at this
BmajoR
Arsonist
2
Account Executive
And THAT is why you space out your cadence. 
mitts2
Politicker
1
Account Executive
I used (still use) a very similar cadence. One based on a lot of industry research and feedback. This was a bad apple and a ton of exaggeration on his part
OutboundCowboy
Good Citizen
2
Sr. SDR
“This guy was a Director of Marketing, plenty of time on his hands” 😂🤣😭😆 ☠️
beerisforclosers
Politicker
2
Account Manager
And this is why we drink.
SaaSsy
Politicker
1
AE
The best rejections always start with a "900% will never, ever, ever use your service/product" - had a less aggressive version of this recently where an ex-CSO now running his own company lectured me via e-mail about how I reached out to multiple people at his company AND had the audacity to call his cell phone, the old "WHERE did you get my cell if X didn't provide it to you?" Quick fun fact,  he chatted with me for 25 minutes, ON HIS CELL, and asked me to send him tons of specifics, including a recap of the meeting I previously held with one of his team members and our findings. Ended it with "Even if you had a great product, I would now have aCihesitancy to buy". That's right, loser can't spell or edit. Nothing makes me more angry than previous sales leaders acting shocked at how sales reps do their jobs.
mitts2
Politicker
1
Account Executive
Nothing more infuriating that a sales exec losing touch with what likely got him to that position. That same shit that his reps are likely doing. 

Well, you mentioned he is an ex sales exec so he probably wasn't a very good sales person anyway
JJASBE
Catalyst
1
Director, Solutions Sales
With the time it took to write all this, as funny as it was, he could've just taken the call.  Not quite as entertaining though.  So nevermind.
AmishArmy
Good Citizen
1
Sr. Enterprise Account Executive
If I were Jenny I would have clapped back with a reply to this douche with "Unsubscribe". That's all. 
SalesOctopus
Valued Contributor
1
Enterprise Business Development Representative
This is insane, I can't imagine being so miserable that I'd need to spend that much time trying to bring someone down.

Respect salespeople, we're all just trying to do our jobs sheesh
6

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