Have you noticed an uptick in cold calls.

As I was typing this blog, a phishing call came in. You know the call! You pick up, silence and hang up. That’s the bots seeing if you are picking up. Now all the sales, legit and scams, that use that service will be notified I’m awake and taking calls.

😆 TWO COLD CALLS CAME IN WHILE WRITING THIS BLOG

I remember parents complaining about cold calls back in the 70s and 80s. In the age of social media and SEO this phenom was relegated to annoying political calls the better part of the past 20 years.

Our old friends, like google search and Facebook, block access to those that want to see your content. Your own friends and loved ones don’t see the content. I assume this is why everyone is calling now.

Suddenly I get 5-6 calls a day just trying to buy my house. Hourly, someone tries to sell me cleaning service, firee protection or new ticketing platform for my business.

I imaging every failed theater producer is now using CLAUDE to create a ticketing platform. There seems to be more apps and websites for ticketing now than there are theater companies and venues.

Why am I complaining about this on THIS blog?

I’m getting to that…

So many call and I ask, are you AI? Sometimes they say YES, and I’m intrigued. I’m curious.

But most times they say NO. But because they are hugging a script for dear life and not listening, they seem like AI.

I try not to get annoyed. I start doing a Seinfeld routine, play dumb, or start selling them comedy tickets.

It is now to a point I almost prefer the AI calls. AI actually listens for your pauses and breaths. AI actually improvised when need be. AI has better responses to my NOs.

I get it, it’s a numbers game. And you are not a sales guy. You are a well spoken shmuck that can read a script.

I did cold calling for 3 weeks in 2001. I was good.

After 10 years in restaurants, I always had the best sales. I love food. I made the guests see and taste the desserts, apps and drinks. Because I saw and tasted them in real time.

The result? I had higher guest and check averages and higher percentage tips. The better organizations taught, SERVICE THAT SELLS.

I broke my foot in 2001. I got a job selling library books to librarians. B2B. All I had to do was convince a librarian to take a box of books. We mailed them. They kept what they wanted and sent the rest back.

Now the easy sell might be, hey, no pressure to buy. But I realized the sheer process of opening the box, going through 50 books (written for teens on a 5th grade reading level) was a waste of time. The budgets for libraries suck but their time is even more precious.

So I sold the value of the books. I sat their for 4 hour shifts in a call center, with my crutches by my side, often with my booted leg up. I talked about an underserved community that gives up on literacy but are curious about the world. So basic knowledge books on earth science, history, etc were essential to their collections.

Most folks around pretended to be jolly. I was. Many pretended to be knowledgeable. I was. Many pretended to care. I did.

I wasn’t a schmuck trying to get my check average up for the sake of higher tips. I truly loved entertaining and serving folks. I believed in the mission of the book publisher. I worked in places I felt offered good product and value. Lucky? Maybe.

The used cars sales techinique might close the deal, but chances are that buyer isn’t coming back.

The bad one liners of a schmuck at the bar may get you to sentence two, but my walls are up.

• “Let me get right to the point…”
• “Your time is valuable so….”
• “I hear similar companies have this issue…”

The numbers game works, on some levels. All marketing and sales requires withstanding the NOs to get to a yes. But how much time is wasted. Maybe if you are selling million and billion dollar packages, you are going to hire a sales team so yiu can spend more time golfing.

And I get it. Selling rich, decadent chocolate cake smothered in ice cream and fudge for under $10 is a much easier sell.

Thess days? I sell Improv.

I sell Improv to schools, corporate teams, private events and of course a few public shows and classes every week.

So I don’t sell comedy shows and classes. I sell FUN. I sell joy & laughter. I sell educational value. I’m successful because it’s not BS. I’m successful because when on the phone with a potential client, I’m bot selling. I’m sharing stories, not scripted anecdotes.

I teach sales teams how to be better at sales. I teach leaders how to lead, not boss and manage. I teach marketing teams how to collaborate. I teach tech folks how to better communicate their needs. I teach math and science geniuses how to translate into human language. I teach kids and teens how to be confidence story tellers.

The #1 fear in this world is stage freight. Combined with social anxiety, IMPROV can be an uphill battle. Comics and comedy shows are a dime a dozen. In New York there are 200+ shows on a Monday. 190 of those are open mics and showcases. A few of those are good. Most serve to create stage time for wannabe comics, student showcasew or, like most Improv comedy shows, the new community theater for lawyers accountants, and real-estate folks.

I don’t think I sell at all. I educate. My #1 Rule is HAVE FUN but never at another’s expense. This permeates everything I do.

I sometimes talk myself out of a sale. After 23 years I can sense when a client or 3rd party Booker is setting me up to fail. I get to come home 99% of the time feeling like a 5yo on Christmas morning. I’m exhausted, but we did good. We left smiles on the faces of kids, teens, and/or adults. Not an ego thing but, sheer joy. The true gift of spreading joy and laughter is living it.

I haven’t cleaned out my voice mail box in 6 years though. No point. Spam, scam and cold calls fill it up in hours. I don’t have time for that.

I get it. As the college kid working in a call center, yiu probably don’t care about anything but the oay check. I imagine the boss didn’t train or give you any reason to think properly.

We are not born with apathy. It is a learned defense mechanism. So many live in a world without connection, filled with depressing news, abusive situations at home, school and/or neighborhood. Parents / teachers complaining about their kids /students like they never get lost on a device.

In 2026 listening and focus is at an all time low. Adults are worse than the kids. My entire career is to inspire connection, listening and focus disguised as joyful game play. It works because we laugh. Laughter from story telling and games that set EVERYONE up for success. Laughter without gross insults. Comedy without ego & insecurity.

But don’t take my word for it…

Come to our shows this weekend, ON ME

CLICK HERE to get TWO FREE TICKETS. I promise the spam is fun too! 😆

• 1pm Saturday WESTCHESTER Madcapped Mysteries at the Mamaroneck Library (I am running this show)
• 3pm Saturday TIMES SQUARE Improv Comedy at the Broadway Comedy Club. I have a great team running the show.
• 2pm Sunday LONG ISLAND Improv Comedy at the South Shore Craft Brewery, Oceanside NY. I’ll be running this show.

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