312-499-5900

Same as above really...they call and ask for the CEO by first name only (big mistake!). I always put the caller to voicemail. They call at least 4-5 times a week. They are persistent though, they've been trying to get through for months.

They probably will call you again...lol

Houlihan Smith called twice today wanting to talk to me about raising capital for my company.  I told them I wasn't interested in talking to them about my finances.  The immediately called back after I terminated the call.  I told them I wasn't interested and hung up again.  Who are these people?

I am an Office Manager with 15+ years of experience in supporting C-level executives and members of several BODs within Fortune 100 companies. I too get calls from this organization and the other administrators just seem to get flustered and upset when the callers treat them rude. When I answer the phone however and the caller hears a male voice, they seem to be thrown off a little. Sad to say most of them expect that those that answer telephone at an organization are not only low-level employees, but also female.

It is very easy to deal with these types of calls.

1) If you don't recognize the telephone number, as soon as you pick up, type their telephone number into a Google search. If a forum such as this shows up, be polite, but get off the call a.s.a.p. Then, take the telephone number, place it into your telephone directory as Do Not Answer. If you can't do that, then start a list with telephone numbers, names, notes, etc. This will help you screen the calls better in the future.

2) If you don't find a forum such as this, continue to be polite and listen to the caller.

3) Ask them for their name, company and nature of their business.

4) Ask them to "please hold" as if you are going to transfer them, but instead, put them on hold. Listen to see if you hear anything that could clue you into if the call is a sales pitch, etc.

5) Come back to the line, as if you had them on hold, let them know the person they are calling for his not available and ask them to take a message. If it is a sales call and they really don't want to deal with you, they will say they don't have a message, or something along those lines.

6) If they are rude, pushy, etc. at any point, call your position into question, ask for your name and position, anything like this, continue to be polite as you disconnect the call.

6) If they person calls back, apologize for the call being disconnected (never admit you did it) and offer to transfer them to the person they are seeking "right away" and don't forget to apologize. Then, as nicely as you did before, hang up.

Eventually, they will get the point. By being polite, you are not in any danger of upsetting those individuals who are being asked for when the caller contacts you and there is nothing that can show that you didn't do what you said you were doing, the phone system must be on the fritz or something.

Bottom line, you are the gatekeeper, you are the eyes and ears of the individuals you support. If people can easily make it past you and take up precious time for decisions makers in your organization, trust me, you will not be around for long. Letting calls like these through can be a direct reflection upon your abilities to do your job.

Whenever you start at a new organization, take on a new role, have a new individual join the team you support, etc., come right out and ask them how they would like you to handle sales calls that come into the office for them. Most of the time, they will tell you to either take a message, place the person into voicemail or vet the call further and bring the information to them as the caller is on hold. This will also gain you quick respect as it shows you are committed to supporting those on your team above and beyond the roles and responsibilities of your position (unless of course your job description specifically says you have to screen calls, etc.).

Yes, we may be administrators, but what most people don't realize is that we are the secretaries back during the era when Working Nine To Five was made. We typically are highly capable, educated, seasoned professionals who know what we are doing and do our jobs very well. We are typically at the office earlier than we are expected to be, leave later than expected, on call at night when we have a stranded traveler or emergency to deal with, most likely the first person to be approached for guidance on company policy, process, etc. We are hired to be the gatekeepers and these days, more and more organizations are realizing our value and what we have to contribute to the organization.

Don't allow others to downplay your role, make fun of your position and treat you like a second-class citizen. You don't need to be rude in kind though, always take the high road, but be assertive and most of all, be consistent.

Good luck.

You have just articulated with great professional eloquence, the difference between a seasoned and authentic professional from the inexperienced and scripted robots that Houlihan Smith Advisors LLC, literally hires off the street.

You do get what you pay for.

Pay nothing much and you get what the 3rd floor produces...vile first impressions with zero credibility.

Good hard working kids for the most part who are turned into liars and beggars.

It is a real shame but that's what happens when the almighty dollar controls everything...even basic human dignity.

Ah yes, same old story - John Hamilton called and asked for my boss by his first name, as though they are old friends.  Usually I just tell people like this (who I do not recognize, when I know 99% of my boss' contacts) that he's not in, but I was off my game this morning.  Happily, it turned out he really HAD stepped out of the office, so I miraculously didn't put this fella through.  When I said his name to the boss, "oh, John Hamilton called for you..."  I got the "confused" face, so I googled his name and phone number, and of course, got this site.  Arg.  Anyway, unprofessional tactics - where do they think this will get them?  My boss is actually a very nice man, and if I had put John H. through, my boss would have humored him for a few minutes, and then firmly ended the conversation.  Why must these jokers waste our time?

This company is the biggest scam on the face of the earth and it is defnitely a lawsuit waiting to happen. In fact, I know they are being looked at. It's sad that a man, Andy Smith, who seems like such a family guy is a scam artist. He has no clue what he is talking about as far as valuations. They hire kids to do the reports and if you are given a quote, don't believe it. They will find a way to squeeze more money out of you. They charge $2500/cusip and they've valued those cusip's a million times. They cut/paste and receive $20,000 for something that took a half hour. If a company asks Houlihan if they provide a certain service and they have never done it, they will tell you they have, try to figure it out, deliver the report late and in horrible quality. Auditors have not accepted these reports and the company is forced to spend more money.
Charles Botchway is an ex-con for a scam involving commodities. Check out their website. That's why he is not listed under the professionals tab. They paid Rip Off report a lot of money to remove all the complaints. And everything I read about the "boiler room" is true. They pass around folders of companies and don't put the phone down. They are trained to be rude to administative assistants and they will get the wrath of charles if not. They are verbally abusive to their employees. Both the 3rd floor and 15th floors are scams. DO NOT TRUST THEM WITH YOUR MONEY!!! I can't wait for the day they finally get busted.   It won't be too much longer I can assure you.

Houlihan is an outstanding company.  Any reports that is anything but an outstanding company are entirely untrue.

Good try at putting a complete sentence together...next thing you know you will be able to recite the alphabet...without notes!!!!

Houlihan Smith Sues 800notes for Criticism and Loses

Check these news links out - very informative:

https://800notes.com/news/houlihan-smith-sues ... cism-and-looses

http://pubcit.typepad.com/clpblog/2010/05/hou ... ff-the-web.html

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100511/1452109385.shtml

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100504/1204399299.shtml

http://www.popehat.com/2010/05/11/dont-like-pushy-cold-calls-well-sue

How many ways can you say, "Ha HA?"

People IN the business don't refer to Solomon as an investment bank.

They are and have been Citi for some time.

After reading all of these idiotic posts, I looked up Houlihan Smith . . . unlike the vast majority of banks and investment companies, Houlihan is actually closing deals in what's probably the worst economy in 40 years. . . Outstanding!  For instance, http://www.streetinsider.com/Press+Releases/H ... ms/5499904.html

Here's another recent deal by Houlihan.  www.newsguide.us/.../Houlihan-Smith-and-Compa ... -Materials-Inc/?...

And another.  http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=11650729538.

I hear those losers have lost in court.
Hello there, "Jack" and "Jacob" droids.

The unfortunate thing about this post is that the real Michael Palumbo is the owner of a successful and extremely reputable trading firm in Chicago. He's been listed as one of the nation's top 100 most successful traders a few times if I've got my facts straight. The catch is that he is in no way, shape, or form involved with Houlihan Smith.  If what everyone is saying is true about these individuals using fake names when cold calling, then one of them is using the name of a VERY successful trader in the area - a man that offers actual value to clients through a strong, legit return which was earned in an ethical manner.  This person, unless his name is actually Michael Palumbo which is unlikely, is trying to use Palumbo's name to further himself fraudulently. SO AGAIN, MICHAEL PALUMBO HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS COMPANY.  Don't let them smear his name.

I am not the president or CEO, but I am next in line and make decisions for my company. Somehow my cell phone got on their list and they called asking for me while I was on vacation. After a few beers (and while at a cubs game) my husband mistakenly answered my phone and handed them over to me. The exchange was short as I couldn't hear anything and they said they'd call back later, but haven't yet. I felt bad that I might have sounded unprofessional to a client, but now that I found this site I can rest easy! They are programmed as "do not answer" now :)

They called me as well.  Very rude and unprofessional and even if i was looking for their services, they pretty much ruined any chance of doing business with me, ever.

Called, asked for CEO- tried to act like he knew the CEO   Houlihan Smith-  There are SEVERAL reports on them scamming people all over the internet.   BEWARE!

Caller asked for me by name - creepy. Asked if I was trying to raise money? That smelled like a boiler-room operation, so I hung up, googled the phone number, and found this site - my instincts were right.