How to Deal With Annoying or Frustrating Salespeople

Last Updated: October 21, 2021

Salespeople are employees whose job is to market a product or service to potential customers. They may perform their duties either in a store, door-to-door, or over the telephone. Some people find it exhausting and frustrating to deal with salespeople who are too talkative, forceful, or persistent. Salespeople who use manipulative tactics and/or sell unnecessary products or services can be particularly annoying. Above all, the knowledge that salespeople are trained to keep pushing a product until completely rejected by the customer will help you stay resolute.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Ditching Door-to-Door Salespeople

1
Don’t invite the salesperson inside. It would be polite to invite him or her in if you were interested in the product. However, you have no obligation open up your home, even if it is raining or cold. Open the door enough just to talk for a minute. Keep your hand on it to make it clear you are in charge of your home.
2
Use friendly, but direct language. You don’t have to slam the door in his or her face or use profanity, but make it clear you aren’t interested. The main part of his or her job is making sales pitches to people, the majority of whom will not buy the product. Don’t let your time be wasted by fruitless persuasion techniques. State firmly and definitively that you wish to be left alone.
- Tell him or her something like this: “Thanks for coming by, but I’m not interested in buying a new vacuum cleaner right now. Have a nice day.”
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3
Avoid inviting body language. Being confronted with annoying salespeople face to face requires that you also provide non-verbal cues as to how you feel. Looking serious or like you have somewhere you need to go are good ways to convey that you don’t have time for the sales pitch. It is ok to look stern, but again, there is no need to be outright rude or unfriendly.^{[1]
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- Making eye contact with him or her is the cue that you are being direct about not wanting the product.
- Close your posture. Don’t throw the door wide open and open your arms. Instead, keep the door mostly closed, and consider crossing your arms. This body language indicates you are not inviting him or her into your day.
- Maintain a stern, straight face. Smiling may indicate that you are at least enjoying the conversation, preventing him or her from realizing you want to end the conversation.
4
Be prepared to interrupt. If the salesperson is still insisting on making a pitch to you, you might have to butt in. Try to wait for a pause, but remember that salespeople have been trained to talk fast to prevent this from happening. Raise your voice slightly, while staying friendly, and let him or her know you aren’t interested again. Hold up your hand to signal you are about to say something, for added effect.^{[2]
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- You might say, for example: “Thanks for the information, but I really don’t need a vacuum cleaner right now. Thanks for stopping by.”
- If he or she really isn’t getting the message, start closing the door immediately after you say this. You don’t need to slam it in his or her face, but a slow, yet determined movement will indicate you are ending the conversation.
5
Ask for the salesperson's information. An easy way to get out of these conversations is to tell him or her you’ll be considering a new vacuum cleaner, for example, in the next year. Tell the salesperson you will make contact if you decide you need assistance. Many salespeople will be happy to know that he or she will get another shot at the sale later.
- You can make this an honest statement or not. It’s not like you’ll need to follow up with him or her.
6
Report inappropriate behavior to a manager. When dealing with salespeople you find to be uncomfortably aggressive, it may be necessary to ask to speak to a supervisor in order to remedy the situation. If very little has occurred, you can ask him or her for the company phone number. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this, a simple web search should tell you who to call.
- Make sure you get his or her full name to report.
- Jot down some of the details right after the incident so you remember everything to tell the manager.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Hanging Up On Telephone Salespeople

1
Hang up as soon as you realize what it is without discussion. After all, this isn’t your friend telling you about his or her day. It is a trained salesperson who deals with dozens of unfriendly customers every day. In fact, simply hanging up rather than yelling or making rude remarks is nicer in a sense. You may not be comfortable hanging up on someone with no explanation. However, after you have tried it once, it will become less awkward for you.
- The salesperson may call back, thinking the call was simply dropped. Don’t pick up the phone, and he or she will likely get the message.
2
Speak up quickly. If you don’t want to hang up without an explanation, give one at once. The longer you are on the call the more motivated salespeople become. Tell him or her you aren’t interested, then hang up. This may still feel a little rude, but again, you are not friends.
- As soon as you realize you are being called by a salesperson state, "I'm sorry, I do not accept 'cold calls.' Thank you, goodbye."
- If he or she has already stated what product or service is being sold, you can personalize it. Say, for example, “I don’t need to buy a vacuum cleaner right now, I already have 2.”
3
Ask for the salesperson's information. An easy way to get out of these conversations is to tell him or her you’ll be considering a new vacuum cleaner, for example, in the next year. Tell the salesperson you will make contact if you decide you need assistance. Many salespeople will be happy to know that he or she will get another shot at the sale later.
4
Use a foreign language. If you are bi- or trilingual, use the other language, insisting that you don’t speak English. If your accent is good enough, or the language is obscure enough, it should be pretty foolproof. Even if you aren’t convincing, it should buy you enough time to derail his or her sales pitch and hang up. And it is also kind of fun.
- For example, saying “yo no hablo inglés” (Spanish) will work if you have a good accent. However, the risk here is that this is a common second language in the US, and the salesperson may suddenly jump into his or her pitch in Spanish.
- If you speak a less common language like Czech, uttering a few phrases and using a confused voice will make it easy for you to hang up.
5
Say you have another call. Cell phones all now have call waiting, so this is a viable excuse for anybody. Tell the salesperson you’re getting an important call and need to hang up. He or she should understand and say goodbye, but if the salesperson presses the issue, just hang up.
6
Request to be put on the do not call list. If you tell a salesperson that you are not interested, but then continue to receive phone calls, you may request to be put on the do not call list. Once you are on the company's list, the law protects your right to no longer be contacted by any salesperson working for that company.
7
Speak with a manager. Sometimes frustrating salespeople cross the boundary between what is appropriate and what is inappropriate. If he or she says something inappropriate, or threatens you in some way, report his or her actions to a manager. Ask to be connected with a manager. If he or she refuses or dodges the issue, hang up and get the customer service number off the company website
- Make sure to get the salesperson’s name. Also, jot down some details to tell the manager when you are connected while they are fresh in your head

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Shrugging Off a Persistent Salesperson in a Store

1
Don’t appear uncertain. A good salesperson can spot a customer drifting throughout the store, unsure of what he or she wants want, a mile off. Look intent in your clothing options, like you know exactly what to choose from. If a salesperson approaches you, don’t say anything that opens yourself up to an unwanted sales pitch.
- For example, don’t use the phrase, “I’m not sure…” if he or she ask you what you’re looking for. The salesperson will jump at the opportunity to make suggestions, and before you know it he or she is piling clothes in your hands.
2
Tell him or her you’re “just looking around.” This will be in response to the most common question: “can I help you find something?” The good news is that this question makes it fairly easy for you to shut down the impending sales pitch. The answer you’ll politely give is no – you can’t help me find something.
- Try saying short abrupt phrases, like “no thanks,” or “I’m good.” Being curt sends the message that you don’t want to start a conversation.
3
Use somewhat unfriendly body language. After giving a quick “no thanks” to his or her offer to help you shop, turn away and keep browsing. This may feel a little unfriendly, but it is a universal cue that you want to shop alone. After all, you don’t need to be friends with this person, and you probably won’t interact with him or her outside the store.^{[3]
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4
Say you’re shopping for another day. A great way to get a salesperson to leave you alone in a store is making it clear he or she won’t make a sale. Tell him or her you are just looking today, but will think about coming back to buy something later. The salesperson should wander off if it seems his or her time will be wasted pitching to you.
- Say, for example: “I’m just looking today, but I think I will need to get a new pair of running shoes in the next month.”
- A little white lie is fine in this situation. For example, say that payday is in a couple days.
5
Be open about your annoyance. If you’re comfortable with it, just look at him or her with a look of exasperation, or sigh. Persistent salespeople don’t want to be around unpleasant people either, so you can up the ante on his or her behavior if you want. If the salesperson just won’t leave you alone, say you really want to shop alone in a firm voice.
6
Leave the store if necessary. If you are uncomfortable, or the salesperson just won’t leave you alone, leave. It should send a message that you would rather leave then talk to him or her. Often, a salesperson’s training in persisting until completely shut down gets in the way of his or her self-awareness. A customer walking out of the store in frustration should be a wakeup call.