Calling for a good cause?

November 29th 2006 at 10:01 pm

Today the phone rang. On the other side was a rep for the policeman’s fund. They introduced themselves to me in such a manner as to let me think they were a police or EMF type person, although I know these callers aren’t.

Then they proceeded to try and get me to agree to a minimum donation to a policeman’s charity.

I’ve looked these things up, they’re legit. A telemarketing company teams up with the police, each gets a cut. I know police have better things to be doing than calling me personally to ask for donations to the state funds for whatever they’re underfunded for. Fair enough.

But this makes these telemarketers sort of an official face for the police, particularly since they don’t clarify their real connection unless you press them. Emily and I have a house rule of saying politely ‘we’ll look at any information you mail us.’ I said this.

The man on the phone persisted in trying to get a minimum donation out of me right on the phone, and I repeated again, a little bit more firmly ‘we’ll look at any information you mail us.’

Said person said ‘you don’t have to be so rude’ and hung up on me.

I’ve done the cold call bit myself, and I have a suggestion. Be honest with me. Here’s a script:

“Hi, I’m _______ with the _______ company, and your state police have allowed us to help them out by handling a fundraiser this year for departments all over the place. We do get a portion of the proceeds to run our company, but our doing this frees up the police to focus on their duties, which is why I’m calling you.” Proceed to honestly explain about underfunded areas that you, a citizen, can help with. Then close the deal politely by asking for an over-the-phone donation.

While dancing the line of faux pretending to be part of the org they’re raising money for, they raise my hackles and defensiveness. You need to build trust to allow me to open myself to being marketed to, these people do not build trust, and ending the phone call like that really peeved me off.

The best marketing is not forceful. Nor is it dishonest.

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