Wrong Number?

Entrepreneur, Oct, 2001 by Gwen Moran

Two federal laws and an onslaught of state legislation have created tougher restrictions on cold calling. Fourteen states have already implemented "Do Not Call" lists of residents asking not to be called by telemarketers. Call these folks by accident, and you could face fines of up to $25,000 at the state level in addition to $11,000 at the federal level. Further fines ensue if your business lacks a "Do Not Call" policy or if you call someone after they've asked you not to.

To avoid fines, check with the attorney general in each state you call to see whether they have a "Do Not Call" list. Crosscheck your list and remove matches. Also, make sure to establish a written policy, or enlist the services of a company such as Gryphon Networks (www.gryphonnetworks.com) in Norwood, Massachusetts, which blocks telemarketers from "Do Not Call" numbers and lets telemarketers instantly add new "Do Not Call" requests to their own lists at the touch of #0.