Fake it till you make it
When you start a new business you always have to “fake it, till you make it.” In other words you need to look like a successful ongoing business, even if you don’t have any real customers yet. But most startups are more than a little short on cash too which makes it hard to look like a successful ongoing business.
Getting a good toll free number is one of the first and best things you can do in starting a new business, but it’s not one of the last things you do when you’re starting something new, it’s one of the first things you should think about. That’s because having a good toll free number is one of the easiest ways to look (and sound) successful for next to nothing.
With a toll free number you’re basically just paying the cost of the incoming calls each month. Most services have a tiny monthly fee, of just a couple bucks a month plus you’ll pay a few cents per minute for a couple phone calls which cost you almost nothing. Don’t you wish your rent was based on how much business you did that month?! It’s not, it’s a large fixed monthly fee so you don’t want to get that way ahead of time. Your toll free number will cost you almost nothing to have and will make you sound more like a business than anything else.
One more tip is that you can set up a toll free number going to your existing local number. You don’t need to get a separate local number right away, because you don’t have many incoming call. When you use a toll free number you have much more control over the ring to number so you can start with it pointing to your current local number and when you are ready to launch more and start to get more calls then you can change the ring to number to a separate business line. Not having to get a separate business line for a few months will probably save you more than the cost of the toll free number, so having a toll free number will not only give you more control and make you look more professional but it will actually SAVE you money too. How’s that for a deal!!
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Mark L. says:
March 4, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Excellent article, Bill! Thank you for specifically anwering my question so clearly. My question was whether I can wait on putting the 1-800 number into service, when I don’t currently plan to open my business’s doors quite yet. You answered everything. Again – THANK YOU!
Mark
Colin Pye says:
July 29, 2010 at 5:29 am
One other thing about forwarding your calls to an existing local number. The phone companies have services called “Distinctive Ring” or “Teen Number” or some similar name, depending on which set of trade marks they own. The end result is that you get a second number for the same line, but the ringing sounds different, like the phones you hear in movies set in England. Often the cost is included in a bundle of phone services, or is a small addition to your regular monthly bill, but it lets you know if the caller is coming through your toll-free line, and if you have call waiting, you will get a different set of beeps, so you know it’s a business call.