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Did you miss a good number?
10/10/2008
Numbers come and go all the time. We process several thousand queries a day just on our website and there are hundreds of phone companies that have access into the database as well. Thousands of numbers come and go from the pool every week, (usually at least a little more go out than go in). Many websites also Lock Up 800 numbers that their visitors inquire about, which is why we warn people about checking numbers at other websites.
Toll free numbers are given out on a first come first served basis, and if you thought a number was good, it kind of makes sense that other people would as well too. So the best numbers often tend to have a flurry of activity. This is especially true for some really good numbers that get disconnected and are available to backorder. But unfortunately we can only accept one backorder for a number and we have to turn anyone else that asks us to help them get that number away.
Read more about how to use the Monitoring Section to keep checking and find a good 800 number.
Toll Free Numbers last forever!
10/09/2008
Toll Free Numbers never wear out or expire and only get more and more valuable the more you use them. Very few things you do when you start your business are going to last for the life of your business.
That cutting edge computer you invested in will be slow and out of date in 3 or 4 years. That sign you put out in front of your business may last 10 years and the phone system you buy may be good for 6 to 10 years. You might spend anywhere from $500 to $5000 or more to build a website that is great today but it’ll be out of date and need to be replaced in a couple years. Almost everything you do in starting your business will eventually wear out, break or have to be thrown away in a few years.
Picking a toll free number is one of the only things you’re going to do in starting your business that can last you literally for the life of your business. Picking a good number will increase the response rate for all of your advertising literally for the life of your business. That’s why this is important and you shouldn’t let the phone company talk you into taking a random number just because it’s easier for them.
The more you advertise your toll free number, the more people we get used to it and remember it. The more labels you put it on the more re-orders you’re going to get every month. The longer you have your number on your website the more likely it is to get listed in other places. The more people dial your number the more they program them into their phones and phone books. Your phone number is one of the most important items you’ll list if someone buys your business. So you’re not spending a few dollars to get a good number, you’re investing a few dollars to get a permanent marketing tool for your business.
How to type vanity numbers on a Blackberry
10/08/2008
I got a powerpoint slideshow from Phone Names recently explaining how blackberry users can enter vanity numbers with letters, even though they don’t line up in the traditional sense.
To dial a phone name from a BlackBerry device, the letters of the phone name are simply typed onto the screen using the shift key
When the call button is pressed, the BlackBerry automatically converts the phone name into the phone number and the call is connected
It’s very easy. I tried it on my blackberry to confirm it and it worked great. Now we just need to educate the public and get all cell phone companies to think about vanity numbers in their programming.
Tips for anyone in Real Estate to find a good Vanity Number
10/07/2008
I admit that many of these tips apply to anyone but they apply especially for people in real estate, both real estate agents and for anyone buying and selling distressed property, pre-foreclosures etc.
1. Be more creative
Yeah I say that a lot but it’s even more true in the real estate 800 numbers because you’re competing with so many people and need to work harder to stand out from the crowd. This is especially hard for people in real estate in the buying and selling category who all gravitate to generic terms. But that’s why it’s even more important in that category!
2. Use your name
You may be selling homes but you’re really selling yourself. You may show them a lot of homes but what you really want them to remember is your name. It gets you more referrals and it makes you look like the expert and more professional than the other guy.
3. Use your geography
You can put your state initials in front of a generic term (link) or you can put in the city. I can hear you saying that you don’t want to limit yourself to one city or state. But you’re not. You’ve probably heard of Boston Market. They aren’t limited to Boston are they? Don’t give up a home field advantage on 90% of your business just because you think it makes you look like the away player for 10%. Use the digits or a different name in the advertising outside your area and you can have it both ways!
There are a couple more if you want to continue reading...
4 Step Process to getting a great Toll Free Number!
10/06/2008
People often ask what the process is so I’ve tried to simplify and explain our process as much as possible, into 4 simple steps.
1. Find a Good Number
Probably the majority of our site is geared toward this step because this is the biggest weakness of most phone companies. But it’s our main focus because we know how vital a good front door is to all of your marketing. Check out our Search Section that explains each of our two main search tools, the Toll Free Search Engine and the Keyword Lookup. This post also simplifies the search process into 5 sentences.
2. Place your order
You can Activate whatever number you find available or backorder it if it’s in disconnect. There is information on Activations and Backorders in sections of our site. But this is extremely easy and just takes filling out a form online. We’re the only ones that do this anywhere near this quickly and easily.
Read MORE about picking a provider and transferring your number.
12 Ways to evaluate or pick a phone number
10/03/2008
After you’ve searched and searched and come up a couple different options for numbers how do you decide? First of all, don’t go too crazy. Sometimes people get so caught up in this that they really drive themselves crazy with this. It’s not rocket science and by the time most people are at this point they’re deciding between a couple choices, all of which are pretty good.
Read about 12 factors you can use to evaluate an 800 number!
1-800 TOUCH TONES
10/02/2008
We just added a new feature to the website. When you do a query with the Toll Free Search Engine you’ll hear the touch tones of the query you just entered. I know it’s just a bell and whistle (literally) but it does make it kind of fun to play with the Toll Free Search Engine.
We know you often have to do a number of queries to find a number available so we’re trying to make it fun and entertaining to do multiple queries. That’s also why we put a few random messages in the Loading message. Firefox users will only hear the tones for the first entry in each session but other browsers do it on all subsequent queries.
If you notice any other issues with the touch tones or the third ‘possibilities’ box let me know, because we just added a new server for the possibilities searches. We’re working hard to make our tools better and better for you!
We don’t play favorites
10/01/2008
Sometimes people ask if we can do any better for them on the pricing. I understand that everyone wants a deal but I don’t think it’s fair to give different prices any more than I think it’s fair to treat certain people better than others. If someone is willing to play games with the price, what else are they willing to play games with? Are they giving some people bigger discounts than they’re giving you? If you didn’t ask for a discount would it have been fair for us to charge you more?
The truth is, that we’re too big to operate like a flea market table or a garage sale. We’re not big yet, not are we too big to have everyone making up their own prices. We’re also the only organization in the vanity number business with straight forward upfront prices. Everyone else makes up the price depending on how much they think t customer can afford or how badly they want it. They negotiate with people all the time. But they’re starting at 10 times our most expensive type of number or more.
We have to run this business as a business, not a garage sale.
1-800 BAILOUT Special!!!
09/30/2008
After watching the president address the nation about the financial crisis we were talking and trying to figure out what things we could do to help people in this turmoil. We came up with a great new way to allow customers to get our best 4 star numbers for less than the 2 star upfront investment.
We’re only going to do this for a very limited time, until Election Day, November 4th. So for the next 38 days, we’ll get you one of our best 4 Star Premium Numbers that are usually $999, for 4 MONTHS for just $249. You’ll receive a form to set up an account with Opex and can pay less than 3 cents per minute for the nationwide usage for the service during the first four months. After 4 months, you can pay the remaining $750 to continue to use it and then can transfer it away. You obviously can’t transfer the number away to another carrier other than Opex until the balance is paid. But it’s your option to pay the remaining $750 at any point if it has worked out well for you. So it’s kind of like a 4 month test drive!
See a list of 200 4 star numbers you can get now for less than the 2 star price
Why the Providers Section is blank
09/30/2008
We give several good options that are cheaper and better than most people can usually find themselves, in the toll free manual that comes via email after you activate a number. Ironically I got this question on a day that I’ve spent a couple hours researching the new system and designing the database and data we need to collect and display.
We’re working on a more thorough database of phone companies. We don’t just want a list of companies and links to their website. We’re trying to make something that’ll make it easy for customers who aren’t familiar with toll free service to understand the main options and to be able to tell which companies are real solid companies and which just look good on the net. We also want to have a way for verified customers to leave real feedback and rank companies.
Read more about the providers directory we're working on.
