Comments on: Do toll free numbers turn off local customers? http://www.tollfreenumbers.com/blogs/guide/800-numbers-for-local-customers.html 1-800 Toll free number search program to locate vanity 800 numbers Wed, 20 Aug 2008 21:00:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.3 By: Andrew Delaware http://www.tollfreenumbers.com/blogs/guide/800-numbers-for-local-customers.html#comment-678 Andrew Delaware Sat, 15 Mar 2008 17:12:15 +0000 http://www.tollfreenumbers.com/blogs/guide/800-numbers-for-local-customers.html#comment-678 Thanks for this, Bill. Glad that you can find it useful on your website. Interestingly enough, the answer doesn't quite satisfy him - here's why. The client in question is a car dealer. He is really focused on his local customers in particular. His fear is that using an 800# instead of his local number (which we want in order to track his ad performance) will turn away local customers who would rather see a 905 number. He thinks they might not feel he is approachable etc. if he doesn't appear local and accessible. Make sense?<ul></ul> Thanks for this, Bill. Glad that you can find it useful on your website. Interestingly enough, the answer doesn’t quite satisfy him - here’s why.

The client in question is a car dealer. He is really focused on his local customers in particular. His fear is that using an 800# instead of his local number (which we want in order to track his ad performance) will turn away local customers who would rather see a 905 number. He thinks they might not feel he is approachable etc. if he doesn’t appear local and accessible. Make sense?

    ]]>         By: Bill Quimby http://www.tollfreenumbers.com/blogs/guide/800-numbers-for-local-customers.html#comment-679 Bill Quimby Sat, 15 Mar 2008 19:22:13 +0000 http://www.tollfreenumbers.com/blogs/guide/800-numbers-for-local-customers.html#comment-679 Wow, I’ve NEVER had anyone say that a toll free number makes them seem less approachable. That’s actually one of the benefits of a toll free number is that it makes you seem MORE customer service oriented and more approachable, not less. My <a href="http://www.tollfreenumbers.com/blogs/guide/bills-top-10-list.html" rel="nofollow">Top 10 List for the benefits of vanity numbers </a>was written maybe 8 years ago but is still true today, and number 7 is Customer Focused Image. It just doesn’t make sense to think that a toll free number makes you seem further away, any more than having a website makes you seem impersonal. Big impersonal companies might have websites that do that, but the fact that you have a website alone doesn’t make you seem impersonal, any more than the fact that you have a toll free number makes you seem less local. They are spending their money on more than just a phone number. If they're concerned about sounding local what are they saying with the rest of their advertising? I think they need to look at the other 95% of their advertising, not just the phone number which is probably 5% or less of their advertising. I hope that helps them a little. .Bill Quimby.<ul></ul> Wow, I’ve NEVER had anyone say that a toll free number makes them seem less approachable. That’s actually one of the benefits of a toll free number is that it makes you seem MORE customer service oriented and more approachable, not less. My Top 10 List for the benefits of vanity numbers was written maybe 8 years ago but is still true today, and number 7 is Customer Focused Image. It just doesn’t make sense to think that a toll free number makes you seem further away, any more than having a website makes you seem impersonal. Big impersonal companies might have websites that do that, but the fact that you have a website alone doesn’t make you seem impersonal, any more than the fact that you have a toll free number makes you seem less local.

    They are spending their money on more than just a phone number. If they’re concerned about sounding local what are they saying with the rest of their advertising? I think they need to look at the other 95% of their advertising, not just the phone number which is probably 5% or less of their advertising. I hope that helps them a little.

    .Bill Quimby.

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