Update

Apparently its a legit call, although they have yet to confirm that it has been updated into their database (apparently they have 2 seperate databases) and the girl on the line promised to call me back once she has acertained that my records have been entered into the other computer. That was like at 11.30am and they haven't gotten back to me yet, even though they have knocked off for the day. Ah well, I'll have to call them up and bug them about it. Which brings me back to the service culture of Singapore...

And I was rudely awaken by an extremely persistant insurance telemarketeer from DBS this morning. It was some tie up with Aviva and I told him nicely that I'm not really interested in taking up a policy right now because I already have a couple that has yet to mature. Yet he kept on selling the pluses of the policy and regurgitated the classic story of the technician who did not take it up and had an accident and he regretted it and whatever.

So I told him why not he send me a brochure and in the event I plan to take it up I'll buzz him, and out comes the story of how a lady took it up on the spot and fell ill subsequently and had the good fortune of being able to claim the payout. And as he was recounting this 'personal ancedote' he accidentally addressed me as "Gary" instead of Mr Tan, which blatantly implies that the training subject was, well, Gary.

"Alright gentlemen, today's class would be about making a sales pitch to your customer. Remember, if you are as tenacious as a pitbull and persistantly tell him a thousand and one stories of how people had misfortune befalling them because they did not take up our policy, sooner or later he will be irritated to the point where he slams the phone down, disown you as a friend, or be persuaded to take up the policy. As you remember from our last personal-motivation class, your daily motto is be optimistic and positive; bad things don't happen to you, so keep pitching the policy to him and he will take it.

"Also, when you tell him your grandmother stories, remember to make it personal and immediate: if the story is 'Gary, there was once this customer that failed to take up the policy and...', make it personal and say 'Mr So-and-so, there was once this customer of mine that failed to...'."

Apparently he forgot to substitite Gary for Mr Tan in this case. New kid on the block I suppose. Either that or he hasn't woken up yet at 10 in the morning, because I haven't. Sheesh.