Among
other things, my internship role required me to collect logistical information
on local small businesses such as number of people they employ, additional
office locations, etc. I was not particularly concerned about this aspect of my
internship because I thought that people would be trusting of local government
and would be comfortable providing such information, especially considering
that City needed this information for research purposes and not solicitation.
However,
when I started making the calls I was in for a surprise. Even after repeatedly
identifying myself as a representative of the City, many people refused to
talk. One possibility is that people fear that they might be found in violation
of some law by providing additional information about their businesses. Perhaps,
cold calling isn’t the best method to collect information on small businesses. May
be scheduling in person meetings is a more effective strategy but considering
the modicum of resources, it is not practical.
No comments:
Post a Comment