Calling Customers: Find the Optimal Time for Connecting

[TheFreddiesCook]

What's the best time to call customers? I am tired of having to leave messages and having to call back, again, and again... I want to know when you guys are finding people at home, a time that is not too early or not too late...

 

[lesliec]

I struggle with this too, especially with my hosts that work full time and have a busy life on top of it.
My director works a full time job, and says that when she gets off work (at about 5:15) she sits in her car in the parking lot and calls people. She also says that Saturday mornings before she does shows, seems to be a good time.

 

[NooraK]

The best time to call is when it's the best time for YOU to call. I don't call before 9 AM or after 9 PM.

What you need to do is look at your day, and decided what is the best time for you to make calls. Then, when you're at your shows, ask your contacts what the best number for them is at that time.

That being said, you're always going to have people you're not going to be able to reach.

 

[babywings76]

It's always a struggle with me because sometimes my best time is during everyone's else typical dinner time. I don't want to be a pest, so I'll try to hold out till 7pm. But then I still seem to reach a lot of voice mails. During the day or around 4:30 I tend to get either a voice mail or spouses saying they are at work. It's very frustrating. When I meet new contacts I ask them when the best time is to reach them, but I still tend to strike out.

 

[raebates]

It's always a struggle. I generally have good success between 7 and 8 p.m., but not always. I inevitably leave lots of messages.

 

[luvmypomeranian]

JMO...but if I call and leave a message 2-3 times and get no call back....I just leave it alone for awhile unless it is a host for an upcoming party. I don't want to bug people. If they havent called me back after a few messages...they don't want to talk to me.I decided to use this approach after getting hounded by a direct sales rep from a different company. I finally just blocked her number!

 

[sassypip]

JMO...but if I call and leave a message 2-3 times and get no call back....I just leave it alone for awhile unless it is a host for an upcoming party. I don't want to bug people. If they havent called me back after a few messages...they don't want to talk to me.

I have been doing the same thing. Seems all I do is leave messages. I called over 20 people one day(no kidding) and maybe talked to 3! I think with caller ID they see it is you calling and do not answer the phone.

I wish people would just say no, instead of ignoring my message. I even say in my message(if it is around the 3rd one I have left) that if they have changed their mind to please just let me know and I will take them off of my list.

I still have not found the "good" time to call people. I work afternoons part time, so I am not home everynight and would be ideal to call people in the mornings early afternoon for me, but still get the answering machines. I did find that calling from work on my break people have picked up more readily. I work in a hospital, so that is what shows up on the caller ID. Even if they say no, I am just glad I talked to someone and not a machine.