Today I became everything I’ve ever hated -  telemarketing scum!  In order to spread the word of Fill The Dams to relevant people across the country I decided to canvass small businesses in the water conservation industry (tank manufacturers, auditors, gardeners etc.).  Although I’m an experienced telephone interviewer, trying sell or promote something over the phone is fraught with danger and I couldn’t help but feel a little anxious over how people would respond.

Sure enough, my first call was a rude flat-out rejection before I could get a word in edgeways! However, my market research experience has given me a thick skin against this kind of treatment, so I tweaked my approach and persisted, ending the day on a high note.  I’m pleased to say that most people I spoke to were polite and seemed interested in the concept, a few happily referring me onto the key decision makers.  Not wanting to be pushy I left them with a detailed email and link to the site, so hopefully this is enough to pique the interest of potential contributors.

There was the occasional abrupt reply, but luckily the law of averages was kind to me today! There are still more numbers to call so I’ll see what support I can drum up tomorrow.

Also, you may have noticed a few tweaks made to the homepage of Fill The Dams lately.  Formely “Refer a Friend” was only available following a successful order - I have now placed a large link on the homepage to advertise this feature.  Also, I used my (non-existant) Photoshop skills to create some nifty promotional buttons that you can place on your site/blog to refer much-needed traffic to Fill The Dams.

Please make use of the buttons and let me know so I can shower you with praise!