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The most recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees were celebrated this past week. Every year there seems to be debate about the relevance of these awards – and all entertainment awards shows, for that matter. If you think I’m not going to use this as an opportunity to throw in as many song titles or lyrics from the list of inductees as I can, you’ve got another thing comin’!

Give this song a listen with me as we see what the experts are saying this week.

Best Times for Cold Calling

Over the years and the 1000s of campaigns we’ve run, we’ve compiled reams of data around customer response rates to marketing campaigns. Since the pandemic started, however, much of this has changed – remote work, adapted workplaces and predominantly digital tactics have made prospects more difficult to reach during their 9 to 5.

UpLead recently published a report on the best times for cold calling in 2022. Aggregating multiple sources in the B2B marketing world, this is a great reference point for anyone managing teams that are involved in outreach.

Does the time you call really matter? YES! Out there is a fortune waitin’ to be had! The more ideal the time is that you call, the higher your connect or answer rate will be! And as we know, it’s all about having a conversation and moving the buyer’s journey along.

Over the years, we’ve found that ideal call times vary by industry and by title/functional role. Best time to reach an exec? Usually early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Be hungry like the wolf and track your own results so that you can adjust your technique as needed.

What about the best day of the week for making cold calls? Across all sources, hit them with your best shot on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Monday and Friday should be avoided if possible – the first day of the week is generally spent responding to emails, attending meetings, and dealing with pressing tasks. Your prospects are likely to prioritize their workflows and deliverables. And Friday is too close to the weekend – many are mentally “checked out” and their weekend mode is already coming around again.

What do you see in your organization? Is there something I should know? Or are there clouds in your coffee? I’d love to hear your feedback on this one and see how you compare!

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Ceremony

Did you watch it? Folks like Bob Lefsetz may debate the merit and relevance of the Hall of Fame – but it’s still fun to see the show! In case you missed it, here are the 2022 inductees:

• Performers: Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo; Duran Duran; Eminem; Eurythmics; Dolly Parton; Lionel Richie; Carly Simon
• Musical Excellence Award: Judas Priest; Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
• Early Influence Award: Harry Belafonte; Elizabeth Cotten
• Ahmet Ertegun Award: Allen Grubman; Jimmy Iovine; Sylvia Robinson

Sure – we can debate how many of these are actually ‘rock & roll’ – but overall an interesting list.

What happens tomorrow in B2B? I think it’s interesting to see how the artists respond to the nomination and induction, and how they ‘market’ themselves and their rockin’ years as a result. You may have followed the Dolly Parton nomination in the press – but I think for many it’s a great case study of positioning and branding. What do you think?

As always, don’t hesitate to call me to brainstorm or just say hello!

Looking forward,
Rick

Rick Endrulat, President | ricke@v-causeway.com | www.linkedin.com/in/rickendrulat

The post Hungry for Leads? Best Times to Call appeared first on Virtual Causeway.

Introducing you to CASL

Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) came into effect on July 14, 2014, to protect Canadian’s while ensuring that businesses can continue to compete in the marketplace. This means that if you are a business in Canada, or send information to Canadian residents, you are required to comply with CASL. The law covers a range of activities that are considered spam but for the purposes of this post, we’ll focus on the email kind.

That’s a great law but what counts a spam?

There are two types of spam, the first one is the use of electronic messaging to send unsolicited, undesired or illegal messages to others without their consent and may be used to send other electronic threats such as spyware and viruses.

According to the Government of Canada’s website Fightspam.gc.ca (which contains no spam), electronic spam includes:

• Electronic messages you did not ask for, including email, social media, text messages;
• Messages from anonymous senders or senders you don’t know;
• The installation of apps or program without the express consent of the owner of the system;
• Promoting fake or misleading products or services;
• And the collection and or use of personal information without permission.

The other kind of SPAM is processed pork meat, which electronic spam is actually named after. We’ll focus on the electronic kind for now.

What is not considered spam?

• Newsletters and updates you did sign up for (but may find annoying) and provided implied consent;
• Email messages from a person you know (who you may also find annoying), or someone who is trying to contact you personally.
• A terrible chain email from the early 2000’s sent by a friend you know telling you to forward to 10 people or else you’ll have bad luck forever. (sadly, not spam either)
• Generic Luncheon Meat. It’s essentially the same product, but it’s not authentic SPAM.

How can I remain compliant with CASL?

The goal is to be the king, or queen, of CASL and remain compliant with these regulations set out to protect citizens. If you choose to not take part you may be faced with a serious fine of up to $10 million for businesses. Don’t believe me? See here how just last year, Kellogg’s was fined $60,000, just for sending messages to recipients without their consent. They’re not kidding around with this.

FunFact: In Italy, you can actually be imprisoned for sending spam. It is important It be informed of these rules as some services such as Mailchimp have rules that are actually more stringent than some local laws.

To be compliant with these laws the government of Canada has set out some tips to keep you in the clear. These include:

• Ensure you have implied or express consent to contact someone. Never collect email addresses that were not provided to you by their owner. This is where CASL differs from the US CAN-SPAM law. In the US, you can send someone an unsolicited email but you must provide an opt-out. In Canada, you must first obtain permission to contact a person, or they must ”opt-In” before you can send them commercial electronic messages.
• Always provide a way out. Include an obvious opt-out or unsubscribe option in your email messages.
• Make sure you and the viewer can easily identify your organization. Otherwise, your credibility is questioned and you might be considered spam.
• Be truthful. Lay everything out on the table. No surprises, no nonsense.
• Don’t harass people. If someone isn’t interested in what you have to offer and they ask you to stop, stop. There’s a good chance they’re not interested in what you’re trying to sell.

Here’s the full text of the law, if you’re into that or here’s 4 Tips for Contacting Clients Electronically and 3 Things to Think About When Sending Messages. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Conclusion

It’s important to note that I am not a lawyer and this article should not be taken as legal advice. This article is intended to be a helpful tool to inform and to begin your own research on the law or to refresh your knowledge for those who are already familiar with it so you can remain in the clear and be the King of CASL.

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