Phone Banking for Freedom
Tonight I went to phone bank for freedom. I called on behalf of GOP candidates around Bucks County. The result was mixed. Mostly, I got answering machines or numbers that have since been disconnected or transferred to new residents.
However, it’s very useful and very interesting. I only got one irrationally angry man and one solid Democrat (who happens to be registered independent, hence the inclusion on our list). The only thing I didn’t like was that the state Rep. candidate on the script wasn’t that great on guns. She’s not bad, just not good. So I made sure to let the organizer know that while I plan to come back, it would be in support of the other candidates who are more pro-gun. In fact, I even told her that tomorrow night, I’m going to a different location.
It’s amazing how few people participate in the political process. Really, I strongly suggest that you take 2-3 hours out of one week to go and make a few calls. I did 2 hours there and hit 96 voters.
No obviously related posts.
This may show up twice — the first just disappeared on me while typing.
I applaud the efforts you are making but may have issues with the method. Perhaps you all are using the no call lists. In my state, the legislators (with their usual arrogance) exempted themselves from telemarketing laws. They take full advantage of that exemption.
I placed myself on the no call list because I did not want to receive telephone calls. I am not sitting by my telephone waiting for someone to call me and spout a canned message about the candidate and his/her stand on issues. I’ve been hearing and seeing that ad nauseum on television, radio, newspapers, yard signs, etc. There is nothing you’re going to tell me new on the telephone about a candidate whether via a live person or a taped message. Taped messages seem to be the norm and strike me as particularly vile.
The only thing that happens when you call my home for a politician is that candidate automatically loses my vote and it pushes me to the other candidate unless they are so vile I can’t vote for them in good conscience. Basically, if you are too stupid to understand that a no call list means exactly that, then you are too stupid for the job you’re running for. I would think it would be obvious to anyone with half a brain that calling someone who has indicated a preference for no phone calls would be annoyed right off the bat and the information will have no opportunity to be heard. All that person thinks about is the annoyance you imparted instead of the information you attempted to pass on (but probably didn’t).
I am amazed that people in marketing (sales) believe that it doesn’t matter how much you annoy your potential customer as long as you get to do your spiel. I even had one tell me that one time in so many words — if he could keep me engaged it didn’t matter how mad I got because he could sell to me. Apparently I was supposed to get so pissed off that I would teach him a lesson by giving him my money.
Anyway, an awful wordy way to say I do hope no call lists are being used whether required or not.
No, it’s not no call lists. I mentioned the independent being on our list, that’s because the list was of voters who were registered Republican or Independent.
Assuming the worst like that is edging toward the edge of a little black helicopter.
I’m not sure I understand the black helicopter reference but I consider my privacy an important consideration especially when I have made it known that I do. I consider the second amendment very important as well and this and many many other blogs you link to do as well. Lots of people are single issue voters on second amendment and get no grief for it. I won’t say I am single issue but these two do push my buttons at least 99.9%.
The point is simple — when you have known demographic who has stated they get irritated by phone calls, why call them? Marketers think it makes sense though.
I may well be way off base thinking most people get annoyed by this. You are in marketing if I remember correctly so that makes you a expert on the subject and I definitely am not one. A couple of days ago you wrote about GOPTrunk and the very poor job they were doing. You ranted about calling BBB and were told you GOPTrunk employees you were lied to and so on (IIRC) yet at the end of the day you agreed to wait another day. So you bought the pitch you were given as angry as you were. Did you get your order or did you call BBB? Did you give up?
On the other hand, there are a lot of gun owners I know who don’t get as excited about it as I do. While I try to get them excited about it, I absolutely will not go about it in a such way that has a reasonably good chance to pissing them off because all they will remember is I did something to piss them off that I should have known would have done so. They will not care one bit about the message even if I get a chance to state it.
My point is simply this — if you want someone to do something for you or agree with you, why do something that has a reasonably good chance of getting them mad when you can very easily avoid it?
No offense, but that has to be one of the most disjointed comments I’ve read. When you say “it,” are you talking about the 2A, the Do Not Call list, or what? Where are you getting grief about being a single-issue voter, and how does this relate to phone banking?
What connection are you making between GOPTrunk and the Do Not Call list? And how is your support for the 2A and other bloggers tied to the Do Not Call list? Your summary at the end really doesn’t tie these issues together. Like I said, no offense, but these issues aren’t related.
As for the disjointed questions, I’ll answer.
First, the list is of registered voters. If you truly want your privacy, then you won’t register. Or get a state identification card. Or participate in any form of civil society. Most people have a point of being reasonable about privacy. They value it, but they don’t go overboard. If you would honestly vote against people – and your interests – because a politician tried to reach you as a registered voter, then that’s rather extreme. Hence, the black helicopter comment.
Second, I don’t do marketing. I’m sorry you’ve been mislead. I also would challenge you on believing that marketers think it makes sense. Consider that long before the DNC registry, marketers knew that calling people annoyed them. Yet, the profits to be gained were substantial enough to risk alienating potential customers. The only reason they honor the DNC registry is because there are huge fines, and I believe in some states, potential criminal penalties for those who willfully and repeatedly abuse it. Before the only negative incentive was a few lost sales. Now it’s huge fines or jail. You can hardly say they learned through market forces. They “learned” with the barrel of a gun at their head.
Third, even though there’s zero connection between phone banking and GOPTrunk, I did plan to do an update today. I waited out yesterday since in my experience, FedEx is known to do residential deliveries much later than either UPS or the Post Office. Since I left to go to run some errands and then phone bank before their residential delivery shifts end, I thought it would be prudent to wait.
Fourth, I don’t see how other gun owners getting excited (or not) about the 2A (at least I assume that’s what you talk about when you say “it” in the second to last paragraph) connects to phone banking to Republicans and Independents. You’ll have to explain that one.
I was in a hurry when I wrote it and it does have problems. I wasn’t misled about you in marketing, simply poor memory I’m afraid.
I could have not registered to vote but are you really suggesting a vote should be lost for 2nd amendment rights just so I can avoid phones calls? I put my name on the list so I could vote. I also put my name on the list so I would not get phone calls. I would simply like my wishes respected.
It does not matter what list you work with — it can be cross referenced with a no call list. Telemarketers have to. Whether political campaigns have to or not, I feel they should. If you call someone who is on a no call list you will annoy them. If that guy needs to hear the message he often will not because of the annoyance factor. If it is me, you have simply annoyed me. What did you accomplish in either case?
You are correct that telemarkers knew it was annoying but didn’t care because they did get some measurable results. How many were lost in the process however.
So my only point is — let’s leave at this — let us do things in a manner that is going to get the message shut out without annoying people if it can reasonably avoid ti. If people do not want to get phone calls, don’t call them. Find another method that they will listen to.
Well, I’d still be curious to know how all of this ties in with bloggers, questions about your one-issue voting, why you’d sacrifice a pro-2A candidate just because they called you, and GOPTrunk.
As for how many customers were lost? Well, it doesn’t matter if the overall number of sales goes up. If I call 1,000 people. Let’s say I get 10 who get angry and refuse to vote for a candidate, as you say you would do. (That’s a reasonable estimate based on the number I called and the one single person who got irrationally angry.) If I sign up 10 volunteers who go out and get 5 more people each, I’m already ahead by 40 votes. (Again, based on my experience.) Besides the volunteers, if I get the names of candidates out there who were previously unknown to independent voters, and they vote for that person because they remember hearing their name somewhere, we could be looking at an extra 100 or more votes over the 10 who were upset.
So, tell me again how the math works out? I’m not trying to be a pain about it, but the numbers and the history of incentives and proven methods by both parties are in my favor.
It won’t matter much in the future anyway as more people move away from land lines.
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