Dialing for Dollars: The Best Time to Strike

Jay Levinson, author of Guerrilla Marketing for the New Millennium, noting that micro-enterprise business owners have little time to play telephone tag, offers this brief list of the some of the best times to reach your prospects (organized by business/speciality).

Be sure to ask "Is this a good time for an xx minute conversation?" If they say "No," ask when a better time will be and commit to talk then. Show sincere respect for their time and they'll be more likely to listen to you.

Guerrillas know the best time to reach their prospects by telephone:

• Accountants -- Standard business hours except between January 15th and April 15th.
• Bankers -- Before 10:00 am and after 3:00 pm, Monday through Friday
• Clergy -- Between Tuesday and Friday
• Dentists -- Between 9:00 am and 11:00 am, Monday through Friday
• Doctors -- Before 9:30 am or after 1:30 pm, Monday through Friday
• Engineers -- Between 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday
• Executives -- Before 9:00 am, during the lunch hour, and after 1:30 pm, Monday through Friday
• Farmers -- Between 12 noon and 1:00 pm
• General contractors -- Before 9:00 am, during the lunch hour, and after 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday
• Grocers -- Between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm
• Heads of businesses -- Before 9:00 am, during the lunch hour, and after 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday
• Homemakers -- Between 10:00 am and 11:30 am and between 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm. Notice -- never during dinner.
• Lawyers -- Between 11:00 am and 2:00 pm and between 4:00 pm and 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday
• Nurses -- During the half-hour before or after scheduled duty hours. Call the hospital to get details about shift schedules.
• Pharmacists -- Between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm
• Teachers -- Between 2:00 pm and 6:00 pm, Monday through Friday