Keeping Their Cool

    Ever try resolving an issue with a corporation? The process is aggravating. You go through hoops to get a real human being on the telephone.
    Sometimes that person is a foreigner. His English speaking abilities are lousy. You grit your teeth, realizing the conversation will be difficult.
    Aside from all that, it’s hard to receive a satisfying outcome to your problem.
    Imagine if someone else complained for you?
    A husband and wife team (in the photo) made a living by complaining for consumers. For an hourly fee, they made the phone calls, and went through those hoops, until their clients issues were settled. I photographed them inside their home in Massachusetts.
    This twosome were expert complainers. As such, they were attune to the nuances of persuasion. They cited assertiveness and persistence as crucial traits.
    Shouting, threatening, and swearing were never done. They understood that the people on the other end of the line—phone reps at corporate calling centers—were swayed by emotions. A sweet approach boosted the couple’s success rate.
    Assertiveness is preferable to aggressiveness.