Refusal Rebuttal

1. Refusal Rebuttal Interviewer Training to Increase Cooperation Rates at the Beginning of the Research Interview Process

2. What is a Refusal? • Active Refusal -“I will not talk to you” • Passive refusal or dropped the phone – Click, phone is hung-up • Passive refusal or busy right now - “I don’t have time” • Wants information or reason to refuse - “Asking for details”

3. Introduction • Why would they refuse? • Hear what they have to say • Your role andthe interview process • Who you are and what you do • Call dispositions • Is it a refusal or not? • Common concerns and rebuttals • Let them know you are listening • Delivery • Believe it

4. Why would they refuse? • Objections are actually a good thing! • If respondents are asking you questions, then they care enough to hear more; they are testing the waters to see why they should continue with the call. • You must then probe to understand the underlying concern • The longer the respondents stay on the line, the greater your chance of a completed interview

5. Why would they refuse? • Listen to these common objections • What were the types of objections you heard? How can you rebut them?

6. Why would they refuse? • What are we selling? • Respondents usually assume we are selling something. • Reassurance here is key. Help them to understand the research process and it’s benefits to their lives.

7. Why would they refuse? • Distrust/privacy concerns/ “I don’t do surveys.” - Who are you and why are you asking me all these questions? - Use of full name, always clearly stating the company you work for, ability to give company location and/or phone number help legitimize the reason for your call.

8. Why would they refuse? • “I am not interested.” • Not true! At this point respondents don’t have enough information to decide if they are interested or not. • What is the real objection? Don’t try to convince them of their interest, because this is not the real issue. What is the issue: Time? Distrust? Assumption of sales pitch? Listen, learn, probe, and address the real concern.

9. Why would they refuse? • “I don’t have the time.” • Be respondent friendly. Be ready to schedule a callback when convenient for them. Know the study schedule, respondent time zone and phone center hours. Include notes on who to ask for when making the callback. Use names whenever possible during callback (i.e. “Karen said to call back around 8:00 to conduct the interview”).

10. Why would they refuse? • “I am on a Do Not Call list.” • Help respondents understand the difference between research and telemarketing. What is respondents’ real concern? Do they assume it is a sales call? Are they concerned about privacy?

11. Why would they refuse? • “You want to talk to someone else.” • “Your opinion counts!” Let respondents know that their opinion represents thousands of consumers just like them. Make them feel important and empowered.

12. Your role &the interview process • Listen to the respondents • Listen to the words being spoken • Words like “now,” “time,” “busy,” etc., are clues that this call might be an opportunity for a callback. • Words like “who,” “why,” and “what for” can indicate a distrust of the process or the call and present an opportunity to rebut through education.

13. Your role &the interview process • Listen to the Tone of Voice • Are respondents sounding angry, rushed, bored, distracted? Knowing the situation and mood of the respondents will help you to know how to address their concerns.

14. Your role &the interview process • Listen to background noise • Is the TV on? Is there a baby crying? Is a family member or friend shouting “let’s go” in the background? Again, understanding the respondents’ situation can help you know what to say.

15. Your role &the interview process • Listen to yourself • Do you sound rushed? • Do you sound bored? • Do you sound upbeat? • Do you sound professional? • Do you sound like you care about the respondent?

16. Your role &the interview process • Know when to push and when to stop • Trust what you are feeling • Do you sense that respondents may be lying? • Is the situation against you? • Is there hope for an interview today? • Leave the door open for another day • Don’t create a refusal • Know the different dispositions

17. Call Dispositions • How you code the call affects the possibility of a future attempt • It tells the next interviewer what happened • It determines who makes the next attempt and when it is made • It contributes to performance measures

18. Call Dispositions • Soft Refusal • Will not answer questions • No specific statement of unwillingness • “No time, call someone else, not interested” • Often used for first refusals • Usually called again at different time of day • Sometimes called by specially trained interviewers

19. Call Dispositions • Hard Refusal • Will not answer questions • Requests to not be called again • Uses threats, foul language, anger • Often used for second or later refusals • Usually not called back again

20. Call Dispositions • Callback (specified) • Cannot answer questions right now • Provides time or date for next call • Called again at specified time

21. Call Dispositions • Callback (unspecified) • Cannot answer questions right now • Does not provide time or date for next call • No one has refused to be called • Often called “Respondent not available” • Called again like No Answers or Answering Machines

22. Call Dispositions • Mid-interview terminate/Break off/Partial • Respondent answered screener and began survey • Unable or unwilling to complete all questions • If specifies time/date for finishing, code Callback (specified) • Otherwise, code as terminated • Usually not called again

23. Call Dispositions • Try to make a good faith effort at convincing a respondent before you dispose of the call • Did you ask some questions? • Did you address some concerns? • Did you listen and not rush? • Did you offer some options?

24. Call Disposition Examples • Respondent: “I’m sorry, but I do not have time to do this survey,” and hangs up. • Interviewer: Codes soft refusal.

25. Call Disposition Examples • Respondent: “I’m sorry, but I do not have time to do this survey.” • Interviewer: “Your opinions are important to us. When would be a good time to call back?” • Respondent: “I don’t know,” and hangs up. • Interviewer: Codes soft refusal.

26. Call Disposition Examples • Respondent: “I don’t have time to do this survey, and do not ever call me again,” and hangs up. • Interviewer: Codes hard refusal.

27. Call Disposition Examples • Respondent: “I do not have time to do this survey right now.” • Interviewer: “Your opinions are important to us. When would be a good time to call back?” • Respondent: “You can call me tomorrow at 6:00 pm.” • Interviewer: Codes callback (specified).

28. Call Disposition Examples • Respondent: “I do not have time to do this survey right now.” • Interviewer: “Your opinions are important to us. When would be a good time to call back?” • Respondent: “I don’t really know. You’ll just have to try to get me at a better time.” • Interviewer: Codes callback (unspecified).

29. Call Disposition Examples After the respondent has finished answering all the screeners and is in the middle of the survey: • Respondent: “I do not have time to finish this survey. I need to hang up” • Interviewer: “I understand, but since you have given me so much valuable information, I would very much to finish this survey with you. When could I call back and finish the survey” • Respondent: “Try me back in an hour” • Interviewer: Codes callback (specified), or similar code (depending on the CATI system).

30. Call Disposition Examples After the respondent has finished answering all the screeners and is well into the survey: • Respondent: “I am tired of doing this survey. I need to go now.” • Interviewer: “I understand, but since you have given me so much valuable information, I would very much like to finish this survey with you. When could I call back and finish the survey?” • Respondent: “There isn’t a good time. Please don’t call back.” • Interviewer: Codes mid-interview terminate.

31. Common concerns and rebuttals • Selling • I assure you that we’re not selling anything This call is for research purposes only. Your opinions help improve products and services. • We are only interested in your opinions, and at no time will we attempt to sell you anything. This is not a sales call and there will be no sales follow-up. Your responses are confidential and used only for research purposes. • You cannot buy anything from us at any time during this call.

32. Common concerns and rebuttals • You will sell my name • All we are seeking is your participation in our national research study, and I assure you that we will not use your name for sales purposes or junk mail. • We never sell your name or information to anyone for the purposes of selling something; your answers are used for research purposes only.

33. Common concerns and rebuttals • Not interested • Can you tell me if you use/have/see (PRODUCT/SERVICE BEING RESEARCHED)? • IF YES: Doing this survey is your chance to express your opinions so (INDUSTRY BEING RESEARCHED) can better understand the customers they serve. • IF NO: (COMPANIES IN THIS INDUSTRY) are just as interested in the habits of those who don't use/have/see (PRODUCT) as those who do, and this is your chance to express your opinions.

34. Common concerns and rebuttals • Not interested • In research, it is important that we try to speak with consumers who are difficult to reach as well as those that are eager to participate. The reason we call more than once is to explain why it is important that you participate, as you represent thousands in your area who were not selected to do this survey.

35. Common concerns and rebuttals • No time • The survey takes only a short time, and your answers represent thousands in your area whom we didn't call. • I understand that your time is extremely valuable. The survey is short, and I will go as quickly as possible. • Since your opinions are so valuable to us, I would like to schedule a time when I can call you back. What would be a more convenient time to call you back this evening or on another day?

36. Common concerns and rebuttals • No time/screening • We can call you at any time that is convenient for you. Can I just determine now if anyone in your household is eligible and then we can arrange a better time to do the interview with that person? • We would like to mail you the questions so that you can answer them at your convenience. I just need to ask you a few quick questions to assure we send you the correct information. These questions will take no more than 5 minutes.

37. Common concerns and rebuttals • Didn’t ask permission • I’m sorry. I started talking to you because I do need to make sure you’re the person I can do the survey with. Let me just ask you two quick questions.

38. Common concerns and rebuttals • Called a cell phone (Federal regulations prohibit the use of auto dialers to call cell phones where the respondent is charged for the call and has not provided express consent to be contacted) • I’m sorry. Are you currently on the free minutes portion of your cell phone use? • IF NO: I’m sorry, we will not call this number again.

39. Common concerns and rebuttals • Survey too long • Please stay on the line just a few more minutes. We’re almost finished. Your participation in this survey is very important, because we can’t substitute your household with any other household once you’ve been selected. Your answers represent thousands of people like you who won’t have a chance to tell us what they think. Please bear with me, I’ll go very quickly.

40. Common concerns and rebuttals • Concerned about privacy • We in the research industry understand completely your concern about privacy today. There are so many companies trying to not only sell things to you, but to sell your information as well. Reputable research companies belong to several industry associations that follow good business practices that protect your privacy. Your individual answers are never available; your answers are combined with the answers of everyone else in your county or city.

41. Common concerns and rebuttals • Concerned about privacy • (COMPANY) is a marketing research company that's been doing surveys for XX years. In all of that time, we have never released any individual answers to anyone. Our results are grouped only at the county or city level and are shown as percentages.

42. Common concerns and rebuttals • Concerned about privacy • IF APPLICABLE: The toll-free number for our Consumer Research Department is 1-800-XXX-XXXX if you'd like to verify that we really are a research company. After you call the toll-free number I can call you back to do the survey. How does that sound?

43. Common concerns and rebuttals • Concerned about privacy • IF APPLICABLE: We are members of the Council for Marketing and Opinion Research, who works to protect the privacy of all respondents. You can visit the website cmor.org for more information on our standards.

44. Common concerns and rebuttals • Too personal • The personal questions we ask help companies understand different consumer preferences. Companies never see one particular person’s answers by themselves, just in groups. • The personal questions we ask are merely a tool companies use to place the XXX,XXX surveys we do each year into smaller groups that have more meaning. Sometimes these differences are by age, race, female versus male, and sometimes by income. The opinions and uses of these groups help XXX TYPE COMPANIES understand the differences and hopefully offer better programming and content.

45. Common concerns and rebuttals • How will my answers be used? • Your responses are combined with those of other people in your area. Individual answers are not given out to anyone. The overall information helps companies understand the behavior and preferences of various groups of consumers. • The responses to the study will be used to inform major (TYPE) companies of new trends in the market. Your answers are completely confidential and are compiled as statistics along with those of others who participate.

46. Common concerns and rebuttals (Cont’d.) • How will my answers be used? • The responses to the study will be used to inform major (TYPE) companies of new trends in the market. Your answers are completely confidential and are compiled as statistics along with those of others who participate.

47. Common concerns and rebuttals • How will my answers be used? • We are collecting this information for research. Your answers will be kept anonymous. When we complete the study, we will give the researchers the combined information from everyone who participated in the study. The information will be handled in a confidential way so that no individual is identified.

48. Common concerns and rebuttals • How will my answers be used? • Our ability to do studies like this one depends on protecting the confidentiality of the people we interview. We have strong security programs on our computer system to make sure that no one but authorized study personnel can get to the information after it is collected.

49. Common concerns and rebuttals • Do Not Call Laws • I know, you are referring to the law that controls telemarketing companies that are selling over the phone.* We are a marketing research company, and companies such as ours do not fall under these laws when we do our research calls. May I explain the importance of our work and why we’re calling you?

50. Common concerns and rebuttals • Do Not Call Laws • Let me apologize if I disturbed you, as that was not my intention. You are referring to the laws on telemarketing.* Opinion and research calls are permitted legally at this time. That law governs sales calls and we are not selling anything. We do marketing research, and these kinds of calls are allowed at this hour. • We often call people between 9-10 PM because we find many consumers are not home, or busy, before then.