| More on Why We Love "Do Not Call" Laws When I was a young pup, I lived in a suburb in the San Francisco Bay Area. This suburb was a wonderful place to be on Halloween; in particular, as it was a safe, easy walk to tons of homes populated by people happy to ooh and ahh over costumes and hand out candy. Some people in the neighborhood did not participate in the fun, but that didn't bother us. That some homes were off-limits didn't put a damper on our evening, at all. We would just walk on by those doors. I have a friend who grew up in New York. He, too, enjoyed Halloween. But, for him, the people who didn't participate in handing out candy was a big problem. He could tell they were home, but they didn't answer the door. Should he ring the bell again? Knock? Sometimes, he'd try harder and people would come to the door and yell at him! These experiences often frustrated and upset this young person, removing some of the fun of Halloween. The difference between my experience and that of my friend's was this: a signal. In Northern California, people leave their porch light off when they don't want trick-or-treaters coming to their door. The national and state "do not call" regulations are the porch light for telemarketers. Those consumers on the list have left their porch light off, so we know they don't want to participate. And because we have that signal, we'll be spared frustration and can focus on our best opportunities. |