"Hi, can I grab the owner real quick? It's about the funding file they opened with us."
Nobody opened a file. Your owner knows that. Your new front desk hire does not. So they put the call through, or they answer the follow-ups: "Is this still the best number for them? Busy season right now?" Every friendly yes can end up as one more field on a lead sheet.
This is Part 17 of Stop the Calls. Part 1 gave the owner a script (https://mcafax.com/notebook/stop-the-calls-part-1-the-script) and Part 5 let a screener take the unknown numbers (https://mcafax.com/notebook/stop-the-calls-part-5-call-screening). But during business hours, a person answers the main line. Today: a script that person can say in 10 seconds, three things they never confirm, and a desk log. Every part: https://mcafax.com/notebook/series/stop-the-calls
General information, not legal advice.
The script to tape by the phone
When a caller mentions funding, working capital, an advance, an approval, or "the file," staff say this, word for word:
"We don't take funding calls. Please put this number on your company's do-not-call list. What's your company's legal name and a callback number?"
Then they write down the answer, or "refused," and hang up. No transfer, no callback promise.
Three things staff never confirm
- The owner's name, cell number, or schedule.
- Whether the business took funding, or who the funder is.
- Revenue, bank, or how busy things are.
Brokers ask these as small talk. The answers can end up on the sheet the next caller reads from.
The FTC's small business guide says scammers pretend to be a company or government agency you know, push urgency, and that caller ID can be faked. It says your best defense is an informed staff: https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/scams-your-small-business-guide-business
The no-transfer rule
Funding calls never get a warm transfer. If the caller says they are your real funder, your bank, or "with the SBA," staff take a name and end the call. The owner calls back on the number printed on the contract or statement, never the one the caller gave.
The desk log
Keep one sheet by the phone. One line per call:
- Date and time
- Caller ID shown
- Company name given, or "refused"
- The opening line, word for word
- Staff initials
On Friday, the owner copies it into the Part 3 call log (https://mcafax.com/notebook/toolkit/call-log-template). When the same shop shows up twice, the owner sends the written stop from Part 2 (https://mcafax.com/notebook/toolkit/cease-and-desist-letter).
The rights behind it, scoped honestly
Most telemarketing calls to a business are exempt from the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule (16 CFR 310.6(b)(7)): https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-310/section-310.6
Two parts still apply to those calls. One bans misrepresenting material facts, including a seller's affiliation with any person or government entity. The other bans false or misleading statements to get someone to pay (16 CFR 310.3(a)(2) and (a)(4)): https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-310/section-310.3
That is why the opening line matters most in the log.
FCC do-not-call rules say a telemarketer must give the caller's name, the company it calls for, and a phone number or address for that company (47 CFR 64.1200(d)(4)): https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-64/subpart-L/section-64.1200
Those rules are written for residential lines and extended to wireless numbers (64.1200(e)), so a shop landline gets less protection.
The National Do Not Call Registry is for personal numbers, not business lines: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/national-do-not-call-registry-faqs. The TCPA is 47 U.S.C. 227: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/47/227
If a caller names a specific opt-out method, staff use it and note it. FCC 26-67, released Oct 1, 2026, lets callers designate one, starting 30 days after Federal Register publication: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-26-67A1.pdf
Report impersonation at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov and unwanted calls at https://www.donotcall.gov/report.html. None of this promises an outcome, and a licensed attorney can tell you how these rules apply to your line. More: https://mcafax.com/notebook/series/know-your-rights and https://mcafax.com/notebook/stop-mca-broker-calls
This week
- Print the script and tape it by every phone.
- Read the three never-confirm rules out loud at the next shift change.
- Start the desk log today.
Coming in Part 18: a separate number just for public listings, so the lead sheets ring a line you control.
FAQs
Can my receptionist make a do-not-call request for the business? Staff can ask any caller to stop and log it. Coverage depends on the call and the line, so the owner should follow up with a written stop.
Does the Telemarketing Sales Rule cover calls to my business? Mostly no. Business calls are exempt, except the bans on misrepresentations and false or misleading statements (16 CFR 310.6(b)(7)).
What if the caller says they are my funder or the SBA? Take a name and hang up. Call back on the number from your contract or statement.
Should staff give the owner's cell to a caller who asks? No. Owner names, cells, schedules and funding details stay off the phone.
Can I put the shop line on the National Do Not Call Registry? No. The registry is for personal numbers, not business lines.
Where do I report a caller who impersonates my bank? At https://reportfraud.ftc.gov.