When I get a call from a number I don't recognize I usually answer the phone "hello, this is Greg" or something along those lines, just in case it's a business call. My normal greeting is "hey" or "yo" or "what's up".
I'd say about 80% of the time that it *isn't* a business call this is the response I get, "uhh...Hi, is Greg there" or "Is this Greg?".
Ummm....did you just pay attention to what I said?
Posted by JonHecht (Member # 9712) on :
When you're a stranger.
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
I always answer my phones with "hello, this is maui babe", or something similar. Even most business calls I get "can I speak to maui babe please?" It happens less often with personal calls, I think. Or maybe I just don't get many personal calls from outside of my very limited circle.
Posted by Strider (Member # 1807) on :
I should have made the requisite warning to not quote The Doors.
I know it's tough, i would've done the same thing had I opened up this thread. Posted by rollainm (Member # 8318) on :
It's been my experience that people generally don't listen or read or watch where they're going. It's normal. Try not to worry about it.
Posted by neo-dragon (Member # 7168) on :
I'm guessing that most people have the: "hello?" "hello, is Greg there?" "Yes, this is Greg" part of the conversation already planned in their heads. So your greeting is like throwing a jab when they're ready to counter a right hook. It's not that they didn't hear you, it's just that they don't have any other response in mind, and they haven't even anticipated needing one. They probably realize their mistake even as the words come out of their mouths.
Posted by scifibum (Member # 7625) on :
Kind of like when people say "what's up" and I say "fine".
Posted by Strider (Member # 1807) on :
yeah, I'm sure you're right neo-dragon, but I still think people should be a bit more attentive!
I can recall one or two people who very audibly were thrown off by my greeting.
"hello, this is greg"
"hello, is greg...uhhh...yes, ummm...hello greg"
Posted by Sharpie (Member # 482) on :
My son calls me and introduces himself, first and last name. Every time.
Which isn't really like these other things, but I do think he's strange. And he is a person.
Posted by Strider (Member # 1807) on :
I also find lots of regular social interactions odd.
Like responding to questions like "how are you?" or "what's up?" or "how's it going?"
the standard response is always "fine, how are you?", "not much", "good, you?"
because most people use those phrases to simply say "hello" and be friendly, and don't actually expect or want a legitimate response. One day when someone asks me how I am I'm going to launch into a lengthy train of thought about my current state of affairs. Or simply state, "terrible, my dog died today. How are you?"
Posted by Starsnuffer (Member # 8116) on :
I'll often answer "what's up?" with "standing." or sitting, or whatever else I may be doing at the time. you usually just get a blank stare for a split second followed be an "ok..."
Posted by Artemisia Tridentata (Member # 8746) on :
The right answer to "What's up?" is "Not my 401(k)."
Posted by Nighthawk (Member # 4176) on :
One time a young woman called my house asking for me by name.
"Is David there?" "Yes, this is David." (sultry voice) "Hi..." "Uh... Who is this?" "Katie! From last night!"
All this with my wife looming over me. It was a wrong number, but I still don't think she believed me at the time.
Posted by dean (Member # 167) on :
At work, I answer the phone by saying, "Thank you for calling *name of business* and *location of business.* This is Dean; may I help you?" And I invariably get people asking where we're located or if we're the business that they're looking for. I don't understand that either.
But when I worked at a bookstore, we would be in a hurry, and the phone would ring, and we would get loads of people who would call and say, "Hi.... I'm looking for a book?" And I always felt like, "Yes, I know. Now let's get to some useful information already, 'cause I'm busy." And then I called another bookstore to ask after a book, and I found myself doing the same thing. I had to specifically train myself not to do that.
It's really easy to say dumb things as sort of an intro to what your actually calling about.
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