Too much of a good thing

I made a mistake a while back.  I contributed to a political party.  The reason that was a mistake is now they will not stop calling me.   On a recent weekend (not during an election mind you), I got four calls asking for donations.  I have asked to be taken off of their call list.

(Photo credit: :: Wendy ::)

In a similar mistake, I signed up for something online that is supposed to support my high school alma mater. Very soon I was getting emails every day trying to sell me something.  I have stopped even looking at those emails.  They now get deleted as soon as they show up in my inbox.  I haven't yet taken myself off of the distribution list out of some sort of alumni guilt.  That is probably going to change soon.

With the cost of reaching out to customers and prospective customers falling to almost nothing, it is more important than ever that companies and organizations remember who bears the greatest cost every time they reach out to a contact.  The contact does.

Even with permission marketing, you can reach out too much.  Even with those who are already your fans or supporters or customers, if you call four times in one weekend, you are going to annoy them.

Organizations need to understand that there is a cost of time and attention every time they call or email someone.  They need to be sensitive to the fact that both time and attention are in short supply for most people.  IF they are going to contact you frequently, they should provide you something of value with that contact.  IF they are going to contact you frequently, they should recognize that it is easy to cross the line into annoyance and get put on the don't call list.

In the best of situations, organizations create reasons for their customers and supporters to reach out to them!  It's hard to overdo it when you have your customers contacting you!

Ripple Effects

The other night I got yet another fundraising phone call from a theater company with which I had recently been a subscriber. Much to the chagrin of my wife, I have not yet developed the "Thank them and hang up" reflex that she uses so well with these types of calls.

The woman on the call started her pitch, and I interrupted her and explained in reasonably general terms, why we wouldn't be donating.

Then something happened that made this call blog worthy. She listened. She responded to what I said with kindness, interest and empathy. (What I said to her was not dramatic or tragic in any way.) While she tried gently to offer another donation option, she did it in a way that made me feel that she understood what I had just told her. She made me believe, if only for a few seconds, that I wasn't just talking to a script on the other side of the phone. She acted like, and treated me like, a human being. Isn't it interesting that that makes the call worthy of comment?

I know that because of the way she responded, I am more likely to give to that organization sooner than I would otherwise. I know that because of the way she responded, I have a more favorable impression of that organization.

Even the little things we do have ripple effects. Mind your ripples!

Related articles

• The Ripple effect - How to succeed in life!