THE DO NOT CALL RULES: CONFUSION...MISINFORMATION... AND THE FACTS!
Dear Valued Friend and Client,
Hi. It's Gary Elwood, Founder and Chairman of Proquest Technologies. I wanted to shoot out this message to you so I could bring you up to speed on how the National Do Not Call Rules affect your use of our marketing strategies and response hotline service.
Here’s the scoop:
You are free to call anyone back who calls your response hotline and listens to a recording, with no fear of being in violation of the National Do Not Call Rules.
Agents for the last 60 days have been calling our offices asking, "How do the National Do Not Call Rules affect my use of call capture technology?"
Answer: VERY LITTLE!
The good news is this is a huge win for you and your real estate business. You see, back when the whole issue started, we hired one of the best telemarketing law firms in the entire nation for legal advice.
Our firm, Copilevitz & Canter, L.L.C. has argued and won cases in every state and federal court including the U.S. Supreme Court. Their expertise and experience is virtually unmatched on this issue.
After reviewing our business for the past year and a half, the firm wrote a 2-page statement that clearly demonstrates that – YES – you can call these leads back.
Here’s why:
By a simple and clear interpretation of both the FTC and the FCC rules there is an opening for you to follow up on the leads you generate this way for a full 90 days after they’ve inquired - because they are viewed as a "business inquiry."
Visit this link to view and print a copy:
http://www.RealEstateGrowth.com/dncr-statement.asp
The reason I felt such a strong need to clear up this point with you is that there are groups out there spreading misinformation, saying the FTC and FCC rules prohibit you from calling these leads back.
When we got wind of this, we immediately contacted the legal department at NAR and spoke with Finley Maxson, an attorney for NAR.
Here's what the NAR said...
He said NAR had no official opinion on the matter and does not endorse the groups or the information being disseminated. We then presented our attorney’s 2-page statement to him. His comment was, "Well, there’s your answer."
What does that tell you?
It tells you there’s a lot of misinformation floating around and you need to be careful not to buy into it.
Bottom line? Again, you are free to call anyone back who calls your response hotline and listens to a recording, with no fear of being in violation of the national Do Not Call List Rules.
In fact, print out Copilevitz & Canter’s 2-page statement, put it in your files and if someone wants to dispute the point, show it to them.
Visit this link to view and print a copy:
http://www.RealEstateGrowth.com/dncr-statement.asp
Have them call us!
Together let’s clear up the misinformation floating around out there. If you run into someone who’s propagating this kind of thing, have them call us. We’ll be glad to help set them straight.
In closing, call these leads back. You have 90 days…make the most of it and exploit the possibilities. And if the situation changes, one thing you can be sure of is we’ll be one of the first to know and we’ll inform you immediately. Our success and your success with this marketing approach depends on it.
Best wishes for your success,
Gary Elwood
Proquest Technologies, Inc.
PS If you really look at this right…our service turns lemons into lemonade: the DNC Rules will virtually eliminate cold calling, while our service will continue to help you generate plenty of warm inbound leads. Again, take it and exploit it for all it’s worth. Follow up, serve people with excellence, and you will win.
