JW children taught cold calling techniques

by Xanthippe 10 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Xanthippe

  I had a double glazing salesman call today. He was so irritating because he didn't tell me who he was but instead started asking me questions about my house and some slightly personal questions. In the end I found myself saying who are you and what do you want.

  Then I thought heck this is what I was taught to do. They trained me, a child, in cold calling techniques. I was told to walk up to a stranger's house and without telling them who I was, because that stops the conversation, to ask them about their personal beliefs and opinions of current affairs! Who asks strangers questions like that! Also they were adults years older and bigger than me.

  Talk about cannon fodder. All that rejection and abuse. To be honest many householders were surprisingly patient with me but of course some were horrible. Is it any wonder that many of us have problems reintegrating into normal society when we leave. The thing is they were not rejecting a product or service (or so I thought). They were rejecting my personal belief system. Of course I have thought of this before but this young guy was not much older than my teenage daughter and we were all so much younger when we started cold calling for the printing company weren't we?
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  Oubliette

  Good observation. There is a reason that JW "preaching" techniques resemble sales/recruiting techniques: They are the same!
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  KateWild

  My son was an UBP at 7yrs old. He was confident outgoing and very cute. Lots of housholders were endeared to him and he placed lots of magazines and brochures. His cold calling technique was second to none. Sadly I am guilty for training him. Happily now he has been removed from being an UBP and does not want to go on field circus at the moment.

  I hope he remains stable in his wishes.

  Kate xx
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  4thgen

  Yes, cold calling, sales techniques and public speaking. We were also were taught to clean.

  Ever wonder why JW’s either work for/own a cleaning company or are sales people?

  Who needs a higher education when you can mop floors or sell Avon?
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  Band on the Run

  Knock, Knock. Eleven year old me knocks on door. Fifty some year old woman answers I follow the script. "Do you believe in eternal life?." It always worked in the MS. Why was she nasty? It is strange b/c I've canvassed in politcal campaign. They have much better scripts. It was none of my business whether she believed in eternal life. Friends howl when I re-enact the scene. I was under pressure at eleven year of age to run a Bible study. Now I see how ridiculous that expectation was. The overseer's daughters my age did have Bible studies. I think they were roped in from their mother's studies. Oh, the two nit wits got up in the KH after MS and announced to the JWs how great they were. I should have allowed to get vodoo dolls representing them.

  I hang up on callers when they do not immediately state who they are and identify a company.

  I refused to state what my beliefs were in the last campaign. Who cares what I believe? It seems presumptuous. I ask what interests them and offer to have the campaign send them more info. Maybe all those years of JW canvassing have saturated the market. I had no takers on additional information. In fact, I believe we lost some voters already on our side for calling people at home.
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  BluesBrother

  To be honest many householders were surprisingly patient with me

  Thinking back... the vast majority of house holders are surprisingly polite and patient with Witnesses, whether adult or child.. The majority give a polite refusal with a pleasant smile.. some will listen a while even though we have interrupted their day and were doubtless doing something else. Of the few that were unpleasant I can see a reason...the man in the middle of shaving who told me to "P*** Off !" ...- the Irish female nurse who had just got her head down after night shift and gave a real earful after I woke her up ......The housholds where my visit had caused mayhem making the dog bark, the baby to cry and apparent hell to break loose inside... and I wondered why they would not accept a leaflet ????

  Of course there were a few who were just plain bad tempered but , who knows what had gone on in their day?

  If the people had not been civil, the work would have been impossible..but they were...in these "critical times hard to deal with" they were not without "natural affectiion and humanity ....

  And yes.. the original post is right about us youths being sent out armed with N H KNorr's business methods for cold calling and selling without making any money for ourselves
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  Band on the Run

  The middle aged woman was nasty to me considering my age. She should have directed her anger towards my parents. I can still remember the look she gave me when she heard "Jehovah's Witnesses." Little kids should have some buffers from normal life.

  I would not answer a friend who asked me if I believed in eternal life. It seems a very personal question. My parents thought Knorr was great. I think he only looked good compared to Rutherford. Do you realize I have no clue what today's opening statement is?

  OMG. Was there a correlation between socioeconomic status of neighborhood and willingness to let me finish my script? I should have asked the overseer why the householders at Kh always let Witnesses finish their speech whereas real people said good bye after "Do you believe...."
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  crazy2try

  Worked for me till I wasn't cute any more....LOL. Service was fun till that happened.
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  Faithful Witness

  I have a reverse example in my father. He was raised evangelical Christian, but had not been to church in about 20 years. My sister started studying with JW's and attending meetings. She blackmailed my mom into going to a meeting, by telling her my niece could only spend the night if Grandma would come to the meeting tomorrow. (!!) My mom went along with it. Within weeks, my dad was curious and started attending the meetings and studying with my mom.

  My father is a salesman by trade, and absolutely loves talking to people and selling them new phone systems. He had found a higher purpose for his sales skills! He loves field service, and glows when he tells us stories about things he has had happen out in service, or anecdotes about his friends "at the hall..."

  My dad and my brother in law got into a sort of pissing contest, to see who could be a better JW, put in more hours, get more privileges and duties. He has totally committed to the org now, telling the family publicly that his top priority is to be a "good JW." He emailed me privately, telling me that even if I did ever decide to join the JW's, he would always still prefer my sister and his family. "It's only natural... You understand." He makes statements now about how, "They are smarter than me!" and when I asked him what is the difference between me and you? Am I going to die at Armageddon because I decided not to become a JW? His response: "That's not for me to decide. That's what I love about this! I don't have to judge people anymore." Egads.

  My salesman father LOVES pushing doorbells, talking to strangers, and yes, even pushiing literature on uninterested family members.
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  new hope and happiness

  Yes Xan and most double glazing salesmen arnt iin love with the product nor interested in the needs of the householder...so i think your use of word " irritating" was accurate.

  Sadly i was a people person that loved the product this made me dangerouse...and to my shame i think i loved the product more than the househoder....uggg