Don’t Pitch Me

We’ve all faced them, LinkedIn connection requests with an immediate sales pitch. People who reach out to be “friends,” only to try to get you into a multi-level marketing company. DMs that are nothing but a sales pitch. 

These are all annoying but also somewhat avoidable. But I had a new one this past week. 

A woman scheduled a discovery call with me to pitch me on her virtual assistant business. REALLY? Scheduling time with me for a discovery call is for me to see if I can help you. It’s for me to understand your needs and offer assistance. It is NOT for you to schedule a sales call. 

I was so put off and annoyed. It was beyond presumptuous. 

I am not one to beat around the bush. I emailed the person and told her what the purpose of the discovery call appointments is and that her pitching me on her services was not only inappropriate, but very off-putting. I told her I would be canceling the appointment and even when I do need VA assistance, I would not work with her because of this approach. 

Maybe that was unnecessary, but I felt so offended and angry that she used something I have to HELP others to try to advance her business. 

Our time is precious and someone using tools you have to help others for their personal gain is irreproachable. 

We have the right to say no. We have the right to call out bad behavior. We have a right to set boundaries. 

When have you had to set a boundary? Was it hard to put your foot down? I may not have done this in the past because I didn’t want to be “rude.” But here’s the thing, she was in the wrong and I was not going to tolerate it. It was appropriate for me to say no. It was acceptable to tell her why this wasn’t OK. It was important to protect my time and command respect. I am no longer a doormat. 

Can you say the same? Need help establishing, setting and maintaining boundaries? I can help. Message me about my one-on-one coaching and group program. You don’t have to tolerate bad behavior.