Giving It All Away For Free And My Phone Number

True, everything comes with some risks. I'm sure you have much higher risks of being hit by a car while driving then actually getting your identity stolen by giving out your phone number, but does that stop you from driving? For some, it does. For others it won't.

I'm second with Ron's opinion. I also know from my experience that if I give my phone number away, then dangers entailing with it surpass the surplus which can be achieved in selling.

Formerly I did give my number in 2007 and received many non related offers from Viagra to others. There was a time when someone called me at 02.30 AM again and again for a month. My family and I do not wish this kind of conversations anymore.

So I give my email and my business mail address only and yes I also use a helpdesk system. This is 3 opportunities for a customer who want to reach me. And it works for me.

IMChick sort of beat me to it.

Don't you guys know about business lines? Business p.o. boxes? Suites? Outsourced business call centers? Answering centers? Business License? Fax Machines?...

You can only make so much money sitting in your basement in your underwear.

Unless you're Jeff Paul.

While I can understand the paranoia of people not wanting to have identity theft result from leaving a phone number -- I'm kind of surprised that so many people are unaware of the easy solutions that allow you to insulate yourself from this kind of problem while retaining the considerable advantage of voice interaction.

1. Get an account with Vonage or other VOIP provider that has the features Vonage offers. This allows you to cheaply have a number that is untraceable to you because the VOIP provider owns the number -- not you.

2. You can add virtually unlimited alias numbers for about 5.00 a month each (which is peanuts) and also allow you to add and/or switch numbers just by calling the provider -- should you have a troublesome caller that won't stop. I've never had this happen but it is possible however unlikely. Use this as your internet number and you'll know that any calls to it are from your web site(s). You can change the number status from answer to immediate voice mail so there is no ringing of your phone after hours. If you want a live person to answer you can always forward to an answering service which costs very little to add. If you use voice mail it is important to state your business hours.

3. As for dealing with irate customers the first question I'd want to know the answer to is "why is my customer irate?" Personally I really appreciate it if an upset customer calls me. They are giving me a chance to fix something they believe is my fault or that I can fix and thereby be an asset to them. Talking to them (well really listening to them) gives me a chance to find out what is bothering them and fix it. There is seldom a more valuable business relationship than one that got tense but was resolved. Very few people are senselessly unreasonable -- and the very few that are -- just give them a refund and they go away. It is seldom worth it to keep the money of someone who is determined to be unreasonable. In the end most upset customers are worth investing some time and understanding into because those are the few that will alert us to problems we really could or should fix.

4. I've bought more stuff through online relationships than most people make and I never buy items worth more than a couple hundred dollars without being able to reach someone on the telephone. There are several internet marketing gurus whom I've called to ask a question or discuss something and they insist on emailing me back. Why do they think I called them? Do they think I can't use email and that they need to show me that I should use email? Frankly I don't know their reasons -- but I have the money to spend and I spend it on companies I can talk to. I think that is probably true of most people in my demographic. Those who can afford to buy any or all of your products probably know the largest number of others who would also buy your stuff if you treat them right.

5. Another solution is an answering service. They are cheap. They take the call, put the person on hold, they tell you who is calling and what it is regarding. You decide whether to speak to them or take a message. Even those you speak to have no idea who the number belongs to nor can they find out if you get the number through the answering service or through a VOIP number that you forward to the answering service.

In summary it is probably a great idea to talk to people until you get so busy you have to hire people to take those calls. People who find you online and take the time to call are generally qualified buyers who only need an unusual question answered before making the purchase. The majority are ready to buy now. If they can't call you to discuss they usually don't buy. You'll learn a lot you'd never learn from email and you'll typically develop a better quality of relationship with the big ticket crowd. Personally I see no downside if you do it right.

Learning how to handle irate customers is an important skill. If someone flooded me with angry emails I'd refund their purchase (even if it was a penny). I'd apologize for causing them so much grief, state that my product was clearly not for them, and tell them the best way for them never to be upset with my company again is not to do business in the future. "Thanks for giving us a try". then I'd block their email and I'd send any future calls from them to voice mail. A small price to pay for the distinct advantages of talking to people.

George.

Ok I found this thread interesting. First off, CmdrStidd's reply was just horrific. Oh my - dude. 3 months in jail! And once again...dude.

I use a magicjack for my "business" line. It works great - gives me free long distance, and I can choose the phone number - as in the area code, etc. I use an area code that is not even near my address. To my knowledge, this cannot be traced back to me personally from anyone out in the world unless they obtained the info from MagicJack - which would be impossible to do I presume unless it was due to a legal issue.

So, wouldn't this work for anyone wanting to post a number on their website? Not only is it safe, you can pack it around with you whenever you go anywhere - just plug it into the usb - and voila - you have a "business" line.

Not only that, but you could have more than one MagicJack - at only $40 each (with one year free long distance included), you really can't beat the price.

That's just my thoughts though.

Anthony