Telemarketing door-to-door?

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| Friday, June 27, 2003 10:47 PM CDT | () comments

Craig Cooper

Ding, dong � TruGreen calling.

It could be TruGreen ChemLawn, or it could be Mediacom at the door selling their products and services in the Quad-Cities the way it was done by the Avon ladies and Fuller Brush men before the arrival of telemarketing.

Those two companies and others that have relied heavily on a "cold call'' telemarketing plan to hit the streets in response to new federal regulations limiting telemarketing.

Friday was the opening day of the National Do Not Call Registry, a free national service developed to give consumers a way to block certain telemarketing calls at home.

The Federal Trade Commission and Federal Communications Commission will begin enforcing Do Not Call provisions on Oct. 1. Telemarketers who call a number on the list could be fined up to $11,000 per call.

Representatives of TruGreen Chemlawn and Mediacom in the Quad-Cities both said their companies will step up door-to-door marketing efforts.

Jim Summers, regional marketing manager of TruGreen ChemLawn, said the lawn care specialty company is already making the type of sales pitch that was highly effective in the past.

"We're already doing some door-to-door sales and they are going well,'' said Summers, who is based in the Davenport office that is the headquarters for a region that extends along the Mississippi River from Northern Missouri to Southern Wisconsin. "I think our people like the face-to-face contact.

"Instead of selling on the telephone, they will be out selling directly to potential customers. Our sales people can come to your house, analyze your lawn personally and talk with you about solutions. I don't think many people are going to be unhappy about that.''

TruGreen ChemLawn is a company that has relied heavily on telemarketing to sell its products. Summers said in its peak telemarketing period just before spring, 14 callers were making 4,000 calls per week from Davenport. At this time of the year, the number drops to 2,500 per week.

TruGreen ChemLawn and other companies selling their products through telemarketing will still be able to contact customers and past customers for 18 months following a payment, purchase or delivery, even if the customer is registered on the National Do Not Call Registry.

However, if a consumer then asks the company specifically not to call, the company must stop or face penalties.

"We were all wondering what this might do to our business, but by the time everything is implemented, we don't think the new rules will hurt that much,'' Summers said. "We'll find a way to get to customers, one way or another, whether it is through door-to-door, direct mail, or advertising."

Summers said that the Do Not Call Registry may put companies that have relied on telemarketing in a delicate position.

"If someone has just canceled with us and they are on the registry, I'm not sure we're going to keep calling for the next 18 months, although we would be allowed to,'' he said. "In that situation, the person we're calling is probably going to be upset, even when we explain that we are allowed to call.''

Mediacom, the Quad-Cities cable television operator, is also selling its services and programming door-to-door.

"We're already going out door-to-door, and if we have to do more to get our message out, I'm sure we will,'' said Lee Ann James, regional government relations manager for Mediacom. "But we believe consumers have every right not to be called on the telephone if they don't want to be.

"Some nights, I don't like it myself.''

James said Mediacom will use more direct mail advertising and other sales strategies. Customers with Mediacom's Internet service may see more e-mail messages.

James said one of the important "wins'' for the cable industry in the new regulations was a lobbying effort that defined what was "an established business contact.'' The cable industry also lobbied for the 18-month window to contact existing and recent customers.

James said Mediacom has made nearly 800,000 telemarketing calls to customers and potential customers in Eastern Iowa and Northern Illinois.

Companies making telemarketing calls will also be required to identify themselves with company name and number. Consumers with caller identification will then be able to make the choice whether to take the call or not.

"We've always identified ourselves when we call. We've had people call anonymously and then use our name. We woke up after that,'' said Brian Girkis, who owns Suburban Construction, a home improvement business in Davenport. "I figured this day was coming years ago because so many companies abused telemarketing.

"Now we pretty much rely on our good name in town and referrals from our customers. I think this could hurt a lot of other home improvement companies that have done a lot more of this than we have.''

There are exceptions to the new rules. Political campaigns and organizations are exempt. So are charities. Calls to conduct surveys are also exempt.

"I think Iowans can be pretty certain they'll be getting a few calls before the Iowa Caucuses on Jan. 19,'' said Bill Burton, Iowa spokesman for Democratic presidential candidate Richard Gebhardt.

A spokesman for APAC Customer Service, which has a call center employing 1,200 in Davenport, was not available for comment.

Nationwide, more than 700,000 homes called to register their number with the National Do Not Call Registry on Friday.

Craig Cooper can be contacted at (563) 383-2360 or ccooper@qctimes.com