Important Experience to Share in Phone Banking to Sell Tickets—and a Proposal That Is Getting Implemented This Weekend in NY That Could Be Adapted Everywhere in This Last Run-up Period
March 9, 2013 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
Suggestion
I think we should have all-day phone banking with runners. On Saturday we can have a team of people phone calling, and a team of runners in Harlem. When we sell a ticket people can go deliver it. All the people that are close to getting a ticket we can say – "get your money together, give us your number, and someone will deliver it on Sunday."
We can have a team @ rev books calling on Saturday and Sunday and maybe an extra person to be runner also. But for sure we can do uptown both days, with Sunday having a bigger team. We should have a goal of 40 tickets by phone banking.
What do people think? I spoke to xx and he thinks it's a great idea, and reminded me how we sold 40 tickets for the showing of the Revolution Talk DVD at the Schomburg in Harlem in this way.
This is the Basic Outline/Script
START
Introducing self, calling from Revolution Books, and I ask them if they have a moment--
NEXT
"I want to talk to you about a film that can change your life, it's called BA Speaks: REVOLUTION—NOTHING LESS! BA stands for Bob Avakian. It's showing on Saturday, March 16th, let's talk about you getting a ticket today."
NEXT
We talk about BA, who he is. Talk about the "If's" in the editorial of why they need to be in the room that day. They raise questions—and I direct the conversation back to getting a ticket.
NEXT
I tell them about how there is a team of people out in the world building for the film and how they can join it.
NEXT
We make a plan to follow up (make sure they get a ticket). Sometimes they say they want to listen to the Michael Slate BA interview, or Youtube videos of the DVD as a way to see this leader. I make sure that I can get back to them... or I hook them up with a team that is on the campus.
LEAVE A MESSAGE:
Hi, I am ______ from_______. I want to talk to you about a film that can change your life. It's called BA Speaks: REVOLUTION—NOTHING LESS! BA stands for Bob Avakian. it's showing on Saturday March 16th @ Magic Johnson Theater in Harlem. Call me @ ______________ to get your ticket.
Response
I have been calling mostly students to principally sell tickets.
In the past, I have called 60 students, have reached 10 and have left message for the rest, and have sold 6 tickets. Just to be clear I need to confirm the 6, 4 were going to meet a team leader, and 2 were going to go online.
People have responded very positive and interested to learning more about the film and BA. At one college, everyone I called had seen the movie poster and wanted to find out more what it was about. At an elite university, no one had heard about it. Three called me back saying "how is this movie going to change my life..." and the others I talked also asked about the movie. This opened the door to talk about BA and the film, using the orientation in the last editorial I talked about the importance of people being in the room each day.
All the people I talked to did not know who BA was, so I responded by saying that is one of the things we are trying to change with this movie, and why you should buy a ticket and bring a friend.
The questions that came were: what about Obama; are you crazy, revolution will not happen and besides we need something more peaceful; no one wants change because they put up with this all the time, people are sheeps. I mostly directed people to the 5-part interview with BA on the Michael Slate Show around this questions, so they can get a taste and get to know BA.
I set up appointments to get back to people, make sure they bought the tickets.
2 questions that stood out the most was:
1. The woman question—out of the 10 people 8 were women, they all spoke to how fucked up things were for woman, rape, harassment at school, work everywhere they went... They asked how this ever going to change. I read to them BAsics quote 3:22; and focused on the last part the unleashing the fury; they said they never heard anyone say that there anger should be unleashed, everyone else says be calm, don't be like the person that assaulted you, forgive people. Things like this make them more angry and then they keep it in. So hearing BA's quote made them want to check out more what BA is more about. One said they would buy a ticket based on never hearing man say things that strong about stopping the oppression of woman.
2. They did not have much belief in people changing, they talked about the horrible way people treat each other, the gangs, murders, muggings and fighting amongst different races. I told them about the 4th part of the Slate interview, how people do not have to be angles. And they said they would listen to it, but they believe in a way that we are the angels (the communist) because we are doing the right thing but others are fucked up.
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