I was talking with Alan Cline recently regarding his toll free number, 1-800 PLUMBING. It’s obviously a very prime number and he’s been building a whole network of plumbers in different areas over the past 5 years to make use of the value of the number. We had an interesting conversation after which I asked if we could do a quick interview for our website. I’d like to do this with several interesting vanity number, business owners at different stages in their businesses. I know there are a lot of people looking at or trying to build a business around a number and Alan has a valuable number and a good start.

Alan, How did you get started with 1-800 PLUMBING?

Well, my sister Beth was a licensed plumber in Baltimore MD. She got the number 15 – 20 years ago. Beth died in 2002 and I ended up with this number. I really didn’t know too much about it at the time, except that it had some inherent value. A marketing company approached me and they represented the number for the first 1.5 years. During that time I learned a lot. That was the basis for my education of vanity phone numbers.

What marketing company did you work with and what was the out come?

The marketing group that contacted me was Mountain Marketing Group. I worked with them for a year and a half and then decided since they had not met their quotas which they set, it was time to move on and get things going. I don’t think they put in the right effort to make this take off.

What lessons did you learn about the business?

It is an interesting business. The number is very valuable and can be an excellent marketing tool. The concept of a vanity phone number is inherently simple. However, there are many technical issues involved in call routing, billing, payments, etc. that must be considered. Also, since 1-800-PLUMBING is a federally registered trademark we need to insure that our licensees perform quality work and take good care of their customers as it is a reflection on all 1-800-PLUMBING contractors.

Who are the best participants or prospects for 1-800 PLUMBING?

Prospective customers either get it or they don’t. It is kind of like the light bulb is either on or off. Prospects that have the right vision and truly understand the value of this number do not need to be sold on the idea. We are seeing some wonderful growth in this economy because more companies are looking for something like this that can give them a competitive advantage. Some companies are closing up, while others are looking for innovative ideas like 1-800-PLUMBING to keep their business growing.

The best prospects are companies that have the proper vision. Generally the best prospect already has an understanding that this number can provide them with a competitive advantage and they are often surprised that someone else has not licensed the number in their area yet. They realize that the small investment made will pay off over time, but it is not an instant return. It takes time to build top of mind awareness, but it sure is worth it!

Other than the obvious benefit of using the number in their geographic area, what’s the biggest benefit (or benefits) from 1-800 PLUMBING?

1-800-PLUMBING licensees get excellent support with the number. We provide a marketing guide, a generous supply of samples which include magnets, pens, doorhangers, truck signage, and more so they can get started as soon as they sign up. Also, we are increasing our web presence to help drive consumers to the site. We are constantly adding strategic partners that help licensees with everything from employment recruitment to gps tracking of vehicles. We are not a franchise and therefore signup for 1-800-PLUMBING is very affordable. Licensees can continue to run their business like they are used to while integrating 1-800-PLUMBING into it at their own pace.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve had building your network?

Finding new licensees that are dedicated to making this work. Sometimes I have had licensees sign up just to prove it doesn’t work. Well to quote Henry Ford: “Think you can, think you can’t, either way you are right” Using 1-800-PLUMBING exclusively in their advertising takes a leap of faith. You have to go into it with a belief that it will work. If you put a local number in an advertisement along with 1-800-PLUMBING you may just prove that people prefer dialing a local number. To build “top of mind awareness” you need to promote the vanity number exclusively and put it on everything. It is best that your customers see it and hear it over and over until it is burned into their memory banks. The best compliment a licensee can get is “I can’t stand your jingle…. It is driving me nuts…. I can’t get it out of my head” Then you have branding and that is powerful! That’s where the value is.

What are your next goals with 1-800 PLUMBING?

My long term goal is to have market saturation in the US and Canada. 400 licensees is a nice number that comes to mind. We have a ways to go, but we have seen some great activity lately and I am optimistic that we will be very close to 100 by the end of 2009.

To accomplish our goals I am looking for the right sales partner or a motivated sales manager that can see the potential of our program and assist us in taking it to the next level. Once we get 100 licensees I think we will have some fantastic momentum and people will begin to see the increased value because 1-800-PLUMBING will be all over the country.

We want to add value for the members of 1-800-PLUMBING by analyzing their businesses to determine what they can do to be more successful. I would also like to act as a coach or mentor to open up peoples’ minds to the fact that each one of us has extreme potential beyond our wildest dreams! I think too many people have limiting beliefs that hold them back.

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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