Above & Beyond | One Blood Donors Story

(This post was written by Dawn Lunsford, one of our Conversational Marketing Experts (CMEs), as part of a discussion on the Incept Facebook page.)

On a day-to-day basis at Incept, the excuses for why someone can’t donate run the gamut from overused to rather clever. But just when I think I have heard them all, an especially creative blood donor throws one my way that leaves me searching for yet another rebuttal to deflect their pretext.

A while ago, I spoke to a lady who, at first, I thought was going to offer up another excuse as to why she could not donate. She told me that she had to see if her son was available to accompany her to the blood center, before she could schedule an appointment. I took a deep breath and just when I started to ramble off my traditional confutation to her objection, she called into the next room and asked her son what day the following week he could accompany her to the blood center. Wow, I thought. Every once in a while, I guess you get lucky and make an easy appointment. After confirming a date with her son, the donor went on to explain to me that her son had to drive her to the blood center because every time she donates she faints. But because she is so committed to saving lives, she doesn’t let something like passing out deter her in the least. She said she had checked with her doctor and she is completely healthy, so she doesn’t see why she should stop.

She scheduled the appointment; I thanked her profusely and hung up. I couldn’t help but think of that woman and her level of commitment for the rest of the evening. I was truly touched by the way she was willing to go above and beyond to help others. Now, every time someone uses the excuse “I cannot donate because I feel as if I may pass out,” it makes me try even harder to motivate them to donate!