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Business Phone Lines

Do you Need a Business Phone?
Tips on Getting a Business Phone Line Really Cheap
Where to Get an 800 Phone Number Really Cheap

Do you Need a Business Phone?

Yes, if you have a home office and you will be dealing with clients on the phone who THINK you work out of a "real" office (ex: consulting.)

No, if you have a home business where people know you work out of your home (ex: gift basket business, etc.) it isn't necessary to start out with a separate business phone line, but you will probably want to get one as you do more business. HOWEVER, if you are using your home, make sure that everyone in your home answers the phone in a nice, polite tone every time they answer the phone. The image they project will reflect on your business skills.

For example, if your child answers the phone with a "Yeah" and then blows out your potential client's eardrum yelling 'Mom!!!' it isn't going to make a good impression. If there is even a possibility of this happening you may want to get a business phone just for business use. I explain how to do it cheap in the next section.

Tips on Getting a Business Phone Line Really Cheap

If you are going to be talking on the phone a lot for your business and/or you need to make it seem like you are working from a real office, you probably have no choice except to get a separate phone line installed. This will run you a minimum of $50/month. If you go this route I would go ahead and get a two line speaker phone. This way if you get another call coming in, you can put the first call on hold to pick it up. Your callers won't get a busy signal and it will seem like a real office.

You can get a cheap two line phone for with call waiting, speakerphone and 3 way conferencing for about $50.00.

If you want a separate phone line but don't HAVE to have one, then you can make one really easily. How? Easy. You get a business phone number and forward it to your cell phone. Don't have a cell phone? You can get a pre-paid cell phone from Virgin at Target for around $50 or so. You only pay for the airtime as you need it.

The place I get my business phone numbers (I have two - one for my phone and one for my fax) is Kall8. They are awesome and cheap. It's only $5/month for an 800 toll-free number and $2/month for a 866, 877 or 888 toll-free number. See below for some tips on how to choose an 800 number.

Tips on Choosing an 800 Number

The best place I know of to get 800, 866, 877 and 888 toll-free numbers is Kall8. It's who I use. If you want a traditional 800 number it will cost you $5/month plus 6.9 cents per minute and if you go with a newer 866, 877 or 888 number then it's only $2/month plus the 6.9 cents/minute. They allow call forwarding so you can forward your calls to any phone number at any time.

Here are some tips based on my own experience:

Unless you really want an 800 number, go with one of the newer numbers (866, 877, 888.) When I started out I thought I just HAD to have an 800 number to be professional and to look established so I got one. It's been a waste of money. I would have been perfectly fine getting one of the other numbers.
Unless the absolute perfect Specialty Number you want is available, just choose a number from what they give you. A specialty number means you pick your number instead of just taking what they give you. It's usually a number that spells a word. It's like 1-800-WORK-NOW. It costs $15/month to have one. Most of the good ones are taken but if you can find one to fit and you need a phone for your business then I would go ahead and get it. If not, I would just get a regular number.
To see if your Specialty number is available (ex: 1-888-WORKING) translate it from the words to the numbers and search for it in the National Search Database option they have. If you get the number from there it only costs you $10/month. If you get it through the Specialty Number option then it costs you $15/month.

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