Telephone calls

Telephone calls

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I am a fairly regularly contributor on this website and do like to try and help fellow accountants as and where I can and also hopefully pick up a bit of useful advice at the same time. However lately I have had several calls from people asking me for advice having seen my postings on here. Is it just me or are other contributors getting calls? I suspect some may actually be sales people but cant be sure.

Whilst I am happy to contribute on here I am a very busy person like most of us and it is not really acceptable to be plagued by telephone calls for advice. So please if you want more info use this forum and dont phone people directly or atleast without asking first.
Anon...for obvious reasons!

Replies (7)

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By User deleted
05th Sep 2007 08:21

World Wide Web
Whenever using forums or other open access forms of communication on the internet, it is always wise not to post personal or business details such as e-mails or telephone numbers.

Web crawlers will harvest email addresses posted on such forums and use them to spam your inbox and other pieces of software can collect numbers for similar purposes.

I don't get calls as I don't post my details, I don't even use a proper name. It's a double edged sword as this forum is excellent for helping others and for a spot of networking - but with it comes the problem of exposure.

Sorry to hear about your problem, hopefully the forum administrators will introduce a Private Messaging system to cut down on this kind of annoying phone calls.

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By listerramjet
05th Sep 2007 08:39

surely
the first thing you should do with these people is to agree a fee basis?

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By AnonymousUser
05th Sep 2007 10:01

Answering posts is free marketing.
Forums are free marketing tools for you to advertise what you do and how well you do it. The more wise your posts, the more inquiries you receive. You must be one of the top posters to be getting so many telephone inquiries! Consider that a positive thing, one of your blessings.

If you don't need any new business, then to avoid receiving the benefit of the free marketing, simply use initials or a pseudonym/pen-name.

P.S. I'm betting 3pic is an Eric...

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By User deleted
05th Sep 2007 10:47

I'm definately not an Eric!
I'm using an abbreviation of my Xbox360 Gamertag and nothing to do with my real name.

I always have a concern when posting advice on here or engaging with a poster directly by the phone that you are opening yourself up to a potential risk of mis-advising (based on the limited details such a forum offers) or advising on a friendly basis but still 'accepting' a duty of care for that advice given, whether paid for or not and regardless of any disclaimers on the website itself.

Hence being more comfortable being anonymous. But then I specialise in VAT and so always take the more cautious approach to things.!

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Euan's picture
By Euan MacLennan
05th Sep 2007 11:00

Is it necessary to be anonymous?
Did Anon - who asked the question - post his telephone number in an answer (or perhaps, give a link to his website where the number was quoted) or does he think that his callers have done a search through directory enquiries throughout the country based on nothing more than his name? I never quote my phone number, but might resort to a pseudonym if I thought that my phone number could be traced on my name alone.

Incidentally, I do not agree with 3pic that an unsolicited enquiry through a Private Messaging system is desirable while spam e-mails and unsolicited phone calls are totally unacceptable.

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By NeilW
06th Sep 2007 13:00

The trick of course
Would be to publish a 09XXX number, then at least you are getting paid for listening.

I've often wondered about setting one up specifically for sales calls.

Anyway surely getting calls asking advice is a good problem to have. Pop somebody in the way to do the conversion to fee work and you're away.

NeilW

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By User deleted
06th Sep 2007 16:43

Not of the fee paying kind!
When I say calls asking for advice its not potential clients - its people asking for my indepth opionions on various software packages. If it was potential clients I'd have then signed up straight a way!!

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