Editor’s note: Amanda Durkee is senior project manager at BN Research, Portland , Ore.

Picture yourself sitting at work. Your phone rings. On the other end, a voice tentatively says, “Hi, this is Bob from Masterful Research. I’m conducting a survey today on widgets. Is this a good time for me to ask you a few questions?”

What would you do?

For many purchase decisionmakers at businesses, such as IT managers, this type of call is an everyday occurrence. Unless there’s a compelling reason to participate from the very beginning, it’s very likely that they’ll pass on the opportunity.

There is no replacement for a good survey introduction to hook a respondent’s interest. Unfortunately the introduction is often inserted as an afterthought - perhaps it’s even part of a questionnaire template. The introduction to the survey is often not given the necessary time and attention to assure interviewers can effectively establish rapport and garner interest to encourage participation. Time spent carefully wording the perfect questionnaire will be wasted if you don’t spend time figuring out how to get in the door.

A good introduction needs to be coupled with good interviewer training. Though they are instructed to follow a script, interviewers will often encounter questions from respondents, as well as different levels of interest, confusion, even argumentativeness. Interviewers need to be trained to respond to these different moods and situations. Having a set of responses to common questions will also help make sure they’re not put on the spot. Otherwise, interviewers may find themselves not only unsuccessful and discouraged, but your research study will suffer for it.

The following are some guidelines to increase the persuasiveness of your survey introduction.

  • Keep the intro short and natural.

Interviewers are trained to read introductions and questions verbatim, so keep the scripted introduction short and simple. The longer or more comprehensive it is, the more likely you are to have interviewers stumbling over the words, ad-libbing, or reading without emotion - a sure turn-off to the person on the other end of the line.

  • Make sure to say why you’re calling.

Identifying the subject of the survey will not only help generate interest but also will avoid confusion and result in more direct, informed responses.

  • Tell them how much time you need.

If the survey is under 20 minutes, disclose the length up front. A survey conducted in 2000 by the Marketing Research Association shows that cooperation rates drop off sharply after 20 minutes, so if your survey is longer you may want to consider shortening it! However, if asked, interviewers should always respond with a realistic estimate such as, “Most people finish the survey in xx minutes.”

  • Take time to establish rapport.

A follow-up to being realistic about the time is to train interviewers not to rush. They should consider the introduction as an opportunity to make the initial connection with the respondent. Interviewers should be encouraged to speak calmly and with enthusiasm in their voice. They should be definitive with their instructions, but not sound rushed. They should also be cognizant of rushing the respondents - typically the people who are willing to take the time to answer a survey want time to think about and voice their opinions. If the interviewer cuts them off or indicates they should rush, the respondent is more likely to become disillusioned and hang up.

  • Offer an incentive.

If the length is over 15 or 20 minutes and/or if the audience has a particularly low incidence among the population, it is very possible that you will need an incentive to gain participation. This recommendation comes with the caveat that you should offer incentives judiciously - you don’t want to offer money and unnecessarily increase the overall cost of your study, nor do you want to up the ante for future studies. If you do need to offer an incentive, state right up front that respondents will “have the chance to receive $xx if you are qualified and complete the survey.”

  • Distinguish yourself from telemarketers in a non-salesy way.

Telemarketing is often confused with marketing research. The confusion has been reinforced by an illegal practice used by telemarketers called sugging or selling under the guise of research, in which they mask sales calls as independent research studies. Therefore, using the phrase “this is not a sales call,” up front may set off alarms with a savvy respondent. The way around this is to have a script handy for interviewers for the event that someone asks what the call is about. An example response is “We are very interested in the opinions of companies like yours so that manufacturers of [product] can continually improve the products and services they provide. Would you help me with my research?”

  • Identify the client, if possible.

Tell respondents who is conducting the survey, particularly if you or your client is a well-established, well-regarded brand and disclosing sponsorship won’t bias answers.

  • Offer confidentiality and respect for respondents.

Last but certainly not least, remind respondents that their responses will be held in confidence, and that they will not be placed on any mailing lists or receive any sales solicitations as a result of their participation.

Remind them also that their opinions are valuable! Encourage interviewers to put themselves in the respondents’ shoes, and treat them no differently than they would want to be treated if they were completing the survey themselves. To encourage this self-awareness, have interviewers practice role-playing to see what it is like to take the survey.

First impressions do count. Make a good one with a good introduction!