Is there a rule about calling people and not leaving messages?  Is it really that annoying for someone to call you and not leave a message, even if you don’t know who it is?  If you were curious about who kept calling you and not leaving messages, and you had their number on caller id, what would you say when you called them up to find out why they kept calling you?

Would you be rude and let the first thing out of your mouth be a whiny "who is this?" when they answered with their polite hello? 

Okay, here’s the deal, you guys.  I am a Mary Kay lady.  I am not a stalker, and I am not pushy.  But I am a sales person working off of referrals, and such. I don’t leave messages because typically, when I leave a message, I do not get a call back.  Ironically enough, I get called back when I don’t leave messages.

And people are typically kind of rude.

So a couple of months ago I did an expo where people spun a wheel, won a gift certificate to be redeemed at a complimentary facial and entered their names into a big basket, to be called in a couple of days.  When I got my names back from this expo I immediately called them all and left messages for those that were not at home.  Not a single return phone call, mind you. 

So, I am in some serious qualifications right now and need to call anyone I can, (especially ones I "paid" for with my expo fee) so I have been calling a lot of these people every day to try and get a hold of them (even if they are not interested, I need to know).  And some have called me back.  Some have been rude.

I had actually left a message for the lady that called me today, and I thought she was being courteous and returning my call, so I answered the phone when I saw her name on the caller id.

"Who is this?" she asked.

Woah, you called me, friend.  You are already mistreating me and you don’t even know me.

"This is Stephanie," I said.

"Well, someone keeps calling my number."

Well, if you would have called me back the first time I called…

"And you are?"

I mean, c’mon.  When you meet someone for the first time, don’t you typically introduce yourself first and then ask their name?  Do you just go up to people and say "Who are you?" 

Anyway, I told her I was with Mary Kay and calling from the expo about the gift certificate and then she says she just bought stuff on the internet and would be good for awhile.  I said okay, hung up the phone and promptly ripped the little piece of paper with her name on it and chucked it in the trash.

One less person to waste my time calling to never get a hold of. And she is not the first person to call and do this.  Another lady called and my husband answered.  She said "who is this?" and he not being as polite as myself was like "Who is this?"

So really, what would you say if someone kept showing up on your caller id and you felt the urge to return the call and quench your curiosity?  I make these calls sometime and I usually just start by stating the fact that someone from this number kept calling me and I was curious as to who it was.  I might even start by introducing myself.  Because it’s not like they know who I am when I am the one calling.  Especially if they’ve been trying to get a hold of twenty other people as well.  I can’t be a stalker if Im calling more than one person can I?

So the lesson here friends?  Don’t be a chicken . Call the Mary Kay lady back the first time, when she leaves a message.  She would rather hear a no and not have to deal with you than she would getting an obnoxious call from you after she spent two months trying to get in touch.

And really, what would you say?  And how would you react if you got the "who is this?" phone call.  Tell me about your phone etiquette.  I need to know.