Is it legal to call local businesses to pitch my services?

[fstep2]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? New York

Does that fall under any type of spam or unsolicited calling regulations? Simply put I just want to call local small businesses (restaurants, spas, etc) to pitch my marketing and business development services.

 

[sandyclaus]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? New York

Does that fall under any type of spam or unsolicited calling regulations? Simply put I just want to call local small businesses (restaurants, spas, etc) to pitch my marketing and business development services.

SPAM is the use of electronic messaging systems to send unsolicited bulk messages, especially advertising, indiscriminately. The term is restricted to ELECTRONIC forms of advertising, and doesn't related to telephone solicitations, as far as I know.

There's nothing legally stopping you from calling the local small businesses, unless they are part of the national DO NOT CALL registry. You would be regulated the same as any telemarketer in that respect, i.e., calling only during certain restricted hours, not continuing to call after being told not to, keeping your own DO NOT CALL list and complying with a request not to continue calling, etc.

 

[fstep2]

how would I know if a local restaurant is part of the national do not call registry?

 

[FlyingRon]

You can subscribe to it at www.telemarketing.donotcall.gov

Note however, the Do No Call restrictions DO NOT apply to business-to-business transactions nor ones entirely within a single state. However, with a $16,000 per call fine for violating the rules, it might behoove you to screen even business numbers against the do not call list.