Don’t Call Me Margaret

My given name is actually Margaret—and I hate it. To this day, I cringe when an office receptionist calls for “Margaret” in a crowded waiting room. It’s even worse when an enticing direct mail package lures me into opening the envelope, and I discover the materials are personalized with the dreaded moniker.

Direct marketers who use my formal name rather than the preferred “Maggie” are wasting valuable time and postage while alienating a potential future customer. Such attempts to portray familiarity with who I am and what I want and need only succeed in underscoring the fact that they know nothing at all about me.

It may seem like an insignificant detail, but solid data capturing should include efforts to discover name preferences for prospects and customers. It could mean the difference between a response and a rejection.