You probably will not have a problem if you are courteous and respectful of your respondents time and priorities. People are generally willing to help but are often really busy.
This is not really a cold call since you will be talking with existing customers. I would say that I am doing research and would be really appreciative if they would be willing to answer a few questions that would take xx minutes. If this is not a good time, when might I call back. You might offer to talk with them after hours if that is an option. And offering the incentive may help. Some people may not be able to accept the incentive so I offer to donate it to a charity of their choice in their name. And, if you can, you might want to "warm up" the respondent with an email indicating that you plan to call. Best, Charlie ============================ Charles B. Kreitzberg, Ph.D. CEO, Cognetics Corporation ============================ -----Original Message----- From: discuss-boun...@lists.interactiondesigners.com [mailto:discuss-boun...@lists.interactiondesigners.com] On Behalf Of Melissa Casburn Sent: Monday, January 25, 2010 1:38 PM To: disc...@ixda.org Subject: [IxDA Discuss] Recruiting & cold calling: pitfalls? A client has asked us to cold-call some existing customers to do some fast research on purchasing decisions. This isn't an activity we normally engage in, so I'm treading carefully. The survey is fairly short (about 15 questions) and includes a $50 incentive. The call script looks tidy, with the incentive called out very quickly. We believe the questions are short and clear, and easy to answer via the phone (as opposed to a readable format like paper or web). Anybody have additional items we should double-check, or basic guidance from past experience using this technique? Thanks in advance ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
