Can I speak to the owner?

I find it absolutely incredible that I still receive calls with this as the opening line.

Let's be clear. If you phone me with that opening line, I'm not going to deal with you.

Firstly, you have not introduced yourself. You have called me, you are asking me for something, but I don't know who you are. Just bad manners!

Secondly, you haven't done any research. It's easy to find out who runs a business, so do that research. "Can I speak to the owner" just sounds like you are going through the phone book. Which you probably are.

The phone can be a great way to say hello to someone you might want to do business with. But do it right. Know who you are calling and introduce yourself.

Anything less is just rude.