How to Succeed as a Phone Canvasser
Phone canvassing is defined as calling people to get them to do something, be it complete a survey, answer a poll, participate in a program, or give money. This guide focuses on the most challenging of these, which is get people to donate money. Read on to learn how to succeed as a phone canvasser.
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Instructions
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Dial a lot. Wherever your organization gets its leads, you need to maximize them to the best of your ability. The first way to do this is to stay on task. Make as many dials as you can in your phone canvassing work shift. Most people will not be at home. Get through these, and you will eventually find someone to talk to.
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Be outgoing, and be yourself. As soon as you get someone on the phone, you need to kick it in gear in the blink of an eye. You need to sound fresh and alert, and you need to make a good entrance. Say hello, tell them your name and organization name, and why you are calling.
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Keep it short and simple. Get right to the point. Introduce yourself and your organization and tell the person why you are calling. Explain the problem, why it is important, and how it affects the person you are talking to. Explain that in great numbers, individuals like them can solve the problem. Tell them you need their support, and that their support is needed at this very moment.
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Spec high and drop slowly. This means that if a person decides to give, ask them to give the largest legal amount your organization allows. This will sound a bit nuts to most people. Keep them in the game. Remind them of why the issue is so important (a different reason this time, or the same reason re-worded). Remind them that action is needed now. Then ask for a smaller specific amount of money for them to donate.
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Keep dropping by intervals until an amount they can handle is reached.
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Be prepared with rebuttals. For example, if someone says, "I can't afford it," say, "That's OK, we just need to get you on board so that X problem can be solved. Can you do X dollars?" Name a smaller amount.
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Have a can-do attitude. Succeeding as a phone canvasser means paying attention, listening to people's responses, and actively striving to improve your technique. It comes down to psychology. The rules vary from person to person, but most people can be manipulated.
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Understand that credit card donations are better than pledges, as it means the person is about 30 times less likely to back out of her support. Do not even offer pledges. Just tell them you take Visa, MasterCard, or whatever, and then just go silent. Wait out the silence. Whoever talks first at this point loses. If they say they are uncomfortable giving their credit card number over the phone, explain that credit card donations are more cost-effective than paper checks and will therefore go further to accomplish whatever it is their money is going towards. If they object again, simply explain your security system, "It's OK, our verifier will call you back to make sure I wrote everything down correctly." No, this makes no sense and does not answer their question, but it sounds reassuring and works two times out of three.
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Keep an eye on quota, and strive to go beyond. Use it as a motivator. Don't think of it as a looming monster to scare you. Stay cool.
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Tips & Warnings
If your organization requires you to stick to a set "rap," they are crippling your ability to raise money for them. You should be able to use the rap as a guideline, not a concrete script. But if your organization does do that to you, tell your boss to change the rule. If that fails, do your best, and best of luck to you. You'll need it.
Phone canvassing is tough work. If you do not develop a thick skin and a sadomasochistic taste for getting hung up on and yelled at many times a day, you will either burn out or run away. It is imperative that you toughen up, and while you're at it, get yourself a robust sense of humor. It's OK to be a little bit cynical, but under no circumstances should you let your job get the better of you. You can succeed.
