Blood donation eligibility is based on a number of factors. According to theAmerican Red Cross, you can donate blood only once every 56 days. You must also be in good health, weigh at least 110 pounds, and be 17 or older. In some states, 16 year-olds can donate with a parent’s written consent, according to the organization.

At Incept, a new Conversational Marketing Expert (CME) will typically learn how to effectively handle inbound phone calls from blood donors anywhere from a month to a few months after they’ve graduated from training. Inbound phone calls from blood donors are used to allow donors to call in and ask questions or bring up concerns. It is important to assist donors in any way possible, so that they know they are important to the blood center and the company.

Here at Incept, we strive to be the best and live by our values. Every time we have the opportunity to make improvements, we go for it.

We have goals to hit every month for each of our clients. In order to hit these goals, our team leads, team captains, and coaches make sure to help our Conversational Marketing Experts (CMEs) as much as possible by listening to their calls and going over a coaching form with them.

Showing confidence in a blood donor recruitment phone call can be the difference between getting an appointment or getting hung up on. As a Conversational Marketing Expert (CME), it is essential to follow the Incept Conversational Quality (CQ) guidelines and display confidence throughout a phone call – people who do this tend to be more conversational and are able to build stronger relationships with the donors.

Let’s take a moment and talk about what it means to be an O negative blood donor. As an O negative donor you have a particularly unique opportunity to help people in emergency situations. O negative blood is more in demand and more often in short supply. O negative blood types are also pretty rare – according to the American Red Cross only 7% of the world’s population carries this blood type. Not only are they rare, O negative blood types are also the universal red cell blood donor! This means they can be transfused to almost any patient in need regardless of their blood type.

While on the phones, it’s very easy to be distracted because there is a lot of multitasking that goes into being a Conversational Marketing Expert (CME). However, as a CME, one of your main jobs is to actively listen to what the donor is saying to you. You cannot have a productive conversation with the donor unless you listen to their side of the story. Without listening, you are not having a conversation; you are talking at the donor.

Whenever you are being trained on a new program, it is important to remain calm and positive. The way you approach a new program will ultimately lead to the whether you have a good outcome or a bad outcome. There are many things that may keep a person from being positive about being trained in a new program, but it is important to always maintain a positive outlook.

Many workplaces have a certain atmosphere, whether it be a family-oriented atmosphere, professional atmosphere, or both! Here at Incept, we are one gigantic family, and that is the exact reason why I love it here so much. When anyone has a birthday, an anniversary, or just does a phenomenal job on the phones, you know about it and you celebrate with them. More often than not, we even get Sam Falletta, the CEO of the company, to sign the birthday cards.

In today’s society it is not uncommon to have a busy schedule. So oftentimes when you are on the phones you will have to second-attempt a donor when they explain that they are too busy to donate. When a donor who is too busy to donate agrees to schedule a blood donation, it is imperative that you explain the importance of rescheduling in case they are unable to make it to their appointment.

Making quality calls gives the  Conversational Marketing Experts (CMEs) a better chance at getting blood donors to make their scheduled appointments to donate blood. Why is that? Well, when calling an individual to donate blood you want to make sure to show compassion, empathy, appreciation, and understanding, all while being polite and pleasant.

What do you do with donors who simply do not answer the phone? Even though you contact them during what is typically the optimum time of day, some donors will not respond to phone calls.

Not all blood donor conversations begin as outbound calls. Donors may call your center to schedule new appointments, reschedule existing appointments, check eligibility, ask questions about donating, or ask for directions to donation sites.

There are a lot of ways donating blood can benefit you, whether it be the mini physical you get before donating, the actual donation itself, or the warm and fuzzy feeling you get from knowing you may have helped save up to three patients’ lives.