Tuesday, April 3, 2007

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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