Ice-Cold Call

Here's how it went down:

Me: "Good morning, Mr. Jones, this is Kyle and Bridgetown Printing and I'm calling to follow-up on the letter I sent you a few days ago."

Him: "Hahahahahahahahahuuuuuh!"

Silence

Me: "Did you happen to receive the letter?"

Him: "Hahahaha! Some sales call!" (sarcasm noted)

Me: "I'll take that as a yes?"

Him: "Hold on, I think I got it right here."

At this point, Mr. Jones is still on the other line (I can hear him rustling around), but we remain absolutely silent for about three minutes! Finally, I say...

Me: "You know, Mr. Jones, if you're having trouble finding it, I can summarize it for you quickly."

Him: "I knew it! I knew I could get you to talk! That was my test!"

I'm realizing what's going on here. Either this guy is just flat-out rude or he's trying to have a little fun with me. At this point, I decide to not let it get to me and have some fun back.

Me: "Oh? looks like I jumped the gun."

Him: "Nah, it happens. Tell you what, I'm with a client right now, I'm gonna have to call you back, and I will call you back."

Me: "You promise??"

Him: "Yeah, I got your info right here...it says 5200 Channel Street..."

Me: "Actually, that's 5300 Channel Avenue!"

Him: "Sure, sure, I'll call you."

And you know what, he did call the very next day. By that point I could have sworn he was a completely different person. His demeanor was relaxed and somber, and he spoke with a deliberate authority. I got turned down for a meeting, but this one will forever go in the books as one of the strangest cold-calls of my life!