Tip of the Day - The Robot on your Phone

Yes, we all hate them. We hang up on them. They always call during dinner. They are annoying. And yet, guess what, they work. If done correctly.

If you are in a down ticket race, and don't have enough money for that second mailer, don't have the volunteers to blanket the District with precinct walking, there aren't enough hours in the day for personal phone calls, and your race is looking close, the robo call may be for you.

If you find yourself in need of a last minute low cost option for getting your message to voters, here are some tips to do it right.

1. Keep it short. No more than 30 seconds. People will not listen beyond that point and after the first 30, you pay by the second.

2. Unless you have a well known and well respected celebrity supporting you, make the call in your own voice.

3. Introduce yourself, your office and one or two key issues. Repeat your name and your web site. Give them a personal phone number where they can call you themselves, even if it's just to vent.

4. You might start by apologizing for doing waht everyone hates, but you have important information to impart.

5. Don't call during a major football game or the prime dinner hour. Don't call too late or too early.

6. I try to time calls for when the fewest people are likley to actually be home. Yes, that's right. I aim for answering machines. That's why its' so important to get the key information out in the first few seconds. Most hangups will occur early. If they lsiten all the way through that's a bonus.

7. Don't use this method unless you fall into most, if not all, of the categories listed in the introduction.

There are many companies that do these calls. Use a reputable one, who will respect your instructions for how and when to deliver the call, let you edit your message as many times as you like, make the call from a local area code, to maximize people's answering it. And above all, keep your voice confident and calm.

Caveat: In many states, you are supposed to have a live person introduce the calls, which kind of defeats the purpose of keeping it inexpensive. Know the laws in your state and what the local custom is. Many of the rules are honored more in their breach than their observance. And no, putting your name on the Do Not Call registry does not apply to political calls.