It’s not that consumers hate telemarketers. OK, maybe they do. But the real problem is that many people feel a lack of control over the overwhelming flow of messages they are bombarded with daily. According to a survey by Pitney Bowes, 60 percent of respondents say they would be more receptive to businesses’ messages if they could choose how they were contacted, and 58 percent would respond more favorably to telephone solicitations if they could choose where or when they were called. Some 72 percent of respondents say they’d prefer to receive direct mail, 17 percent would prefer an e-mail, and 13 percent would rather be called at work than at home. And if businesses would take the time to know their consumers, that would help too: 75 percent say that all too often the pitches aren’t geared to their needs or interests.
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