Let's knock the competition! That works

When I was a baby salesman I was taught "Never, not ever, knock the competition. Knock their products and services with our comparative benefits, but never, ever criticise them as a company or their sales team."

I can't say with honesty that I stuck to that advice.

What I can say is that, when I did knock, that came home to haunt me because I never got a deal where I'd tried it.

Yesterday I was busy not taking calls from a sales rep who'd had an email from me saying that I would not be using her organisation. Heck, no means no. A major reason had been that calls from her always said "withheld" and I have a normal policy on my mobile of avoiding such calls. I like to know who is calling me. But I pressed a button on the phone while getting it out of my pocket and it answered the call.

My needs are pretty simple. I need a debt collector to trace the guarantor for one of my tenants and to give him a nasty surprise. She was evicted owing me over £4,500 and I want it back from her or her guarantor. He's moved on. I can't trace him. A collection firm can, and we can get an attachment order against his earnings.

But the failing sales rep said "I hope you are not using [named firm] because they have a habit of quoting one fee and charging much more in loads of different and mysterious ways."

Even if she stood a chance before she lost it for ever for her firm with that statement.

I happen to be using the named firm. I checked their contract and discussed this conversation.

The losing firm? I am judging their customer service on their sales rep. I've got nothing else to judge them on, so that will do just fine. I know I want a touch firm, but I want one that plays it straight, too.