Notes from the toll free desk
Practical writing about vanity numbers, the RespOrg system, and the small decisions that make a phone number worth keeping. Written by Bill Quimby.
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It's not a phone number, it's a business asset
Your personal number was an afterthought, and that's fine, because you're not advertising it. A business is paying to get strangers to dial its number. That makes the number a business asset, and the right one does two things for you: it brings in more business while you use it, and it's worth more when you're done.
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Can I pay you to get it?
I appreciate the question. It's a compliment, and it's the feeling I'm trying to create. But when a number shows as unavailable, paying me to get it won't change that.
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Why some numbers aren't for sale at any price
Some toll free numbers are held by companies that make their money from wrong numbers. When one of them has the number you want, it isn't for sale. Not to anyone, at any price. When I say they never release anything, I mean it.
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Advertising with a vanity number: what to search for
There are basically 3 things you can search for in a vanity number: a generic term for your business, your brand, and your message. The generic term is where most people start, and it's both the least valuable and the hardest to get.
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Who's the best phone company for your toll free number?
There is honestly no one phone company that's the BEST for everyone. Learn the different TYPES of toll free service first, then read lots of customer reviews before you go to their sales pitch website.
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How do you calculate what the WORST or LEAST VALUABLE number is?
Phone companies and customers have spent decades picking the numbers they like best. We measure the availability of every number over the past 10ish years, and it does an amazing job of showing which numbers are least valuable.
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Why creative vanity numbers beat generic words
It doesn't take a generic term to build a successful business. That extra creativity will make your number MORE memorable and MORE valuable than the generic term you thought of first.
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Can you get a number someone else has?
Getting a number from a vendor is the most expensive way to get a good number, just like buying a domain name from a vendor costs a lot more than registering one yourself. And when a number says IN USE, that means NOT AVAILABLE. It doesn't mean try harder.
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How to find “good and cheap” vanity numbers
To find the cheapest good numbers, you just have to be both creative and thorough. And remember 3 words: “Generic equals expensive!”
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How to search for a vanity number
Your first choice is almost never available any more. That's why you have to be more creative and more thorough to find a good number today, and why our lookup tool checks thousands of options every time you enter a single word.
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Are vanity numbers longer than 7 digits worthless?
No. I've had 1-800 MARKETER, which has 8 digits, for 20+ years, and almost nobody has said it doesn't work for them. If you're worried, just put the numeric digits in parentheses with it.
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What is the initial local ring to number?
A toll free number just forwards the calls to a local number, and this is the local number you want the calls to be forwarded to.
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Local vs toll free vanity numbers
Local numbers are definitely much more viable than they used to be. For many businesses they offer an excellent alternative or even a superior alternative!
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The long term value of vanity numbers
A memorable vanity number can be an asset that not only holds its value but goes up in value over time. Don't look at the cost of a vanity number as an expense, it's an investment in your business.
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Do you need a PIN number to transfer a toll free number?
No. PIN numbers are used to transfer LOCAL numbers, not toll free numbers. If a rep at your cell phone company asks you for a PIN number, you're dealing with someone who doesn't know toll free.
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Advertising is based on repetition, repetition, repetition
The more you repeat something, the more likely your audience is to remember it. The best vanity numbers don't just translate to words, they represent the message of the advertising.
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Take a vanity number test drive
After you've narrowed your options down to three or four, you're ready for a TEST DRIVE! You test drive a vanity phone number by pretending it's already yours: put each one in a mockup of your ad and show them to people outside your bubble.
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Toll free number prices and services
The real difference between us and everyone else is that you OWN any number you get from us with NO STRINGS and can use it with ANY toll free service, for a one time fee of $49 for most of the available toll free numbers.
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Can't you make one ultimate list?
There is no "shortcut" list. The real trick is to be more creative than everyone else, and to find creative options that other people wouldn't look for.
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Advice for dealing with vanity number vendors
Most of the other businesses you see are like domain name sellers, offering numbers they control. If you really have to have a specific number from one of them: don't over share, don't get huffy, and remember that time is on your side.
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Why you should own your toll free number
There are no FREE 800 numbers. In the end they all have strings! The small fee to purchase and own your number doesn't mean you don't have to keep it active, but it does mean you CAN'T BE HELD HOSTAGE!
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Do you have any variations of _____?
The short answer is, there are always options, but for obvious terms that anyone in your industry would like, the real answer is they're not cheap or they take some work to get.
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Should you rent a vanity number?
Renting gets you a great number without paying thousands up front, but you're building your business on someone else's property. Rent-to-own gives you the best of both worlds: a monthly payment you can walk away from, and a number you own in the end.
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Why does my toll free number show "Scam Likely"?
It's not that toll free numbers are a bad sign. It's seeing them on your caller ID that makes people wary. So give out your toll free number and use it in your advertising. Just don't put it in your caller ID.
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Can you text from a toll free number? Yes and no.
Toll free numbers don't make calls or send texts on their own, but you can still text from yours. Here's the difference, with a little help from My Cousin Vinny.
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How much NOT to offer for a vanity number
Never offer 10 or 20 percent of the asking price to someone who's in the business. It's insulting to them, and it never goes anywhere productive. You're better off leaving the door open politely and walking away than making an offer that insulting.
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All or nothing? What to do when you can't get the perfect number
Can't get the perfect number? Don't walk away with nothing. Get the best one available now. You can still add the perfect one later, and you won't lose anything you've already printed.
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Creative Ways to Improve Any Business's Marketing and Advertising
The most effective marketing is not the most expensive, it is the most memorable. Here are practical, low cost ways to make your advertising stick: give people something they can actually remember, say one clear thing everywhere, turn every touchpoint into an ad, and make the next step impossible to miss.
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Creative Ways to Improve Your Branding
Your brand is what people remember when you are not in the room. Strong branding is memorable, consistent, and ownable. Build it with a name and number people can say out loud, a look that is unmistakably yours, and a promise you keep every time.
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Creativity, Not Keywords, in Names and 800 Numbers
Keywords are for domain names. A real business name needs to stand out, not blend in.
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Finding a Niche for Your Small Business
Focus beats breadth. Pick a niche you know and build specifically for it.
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A PLAN Can Make All the Difference
Pick the message first, then make the name, the domain, and the number all tell the same story.
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1-800 FLOWERS Is a Bad Example
1-800 FLOWERS cost seven million dollars plus hundreds of millions in advertising. It's not the model for a small business.
