Free call numbers are not expensive and are great way for businesses to advertise and generate new and existing customers. Specially for those businesses whose customers are spread out over large geographical areas.

If you thought customers who spend lots of money with your business are not worried about the price of a phone call, you’re wrong. Research has shown that customers are seven times more likely to call a company who have a free call number than ones who doesn’t.

The price of setting up a service like this varies between telecommunication companies so it pays to shop around. The benefit of such a service is you can have the number forwarded any existing number you choose and you can usually change the number as you wish.

You could argue that having this service is just another cost to your business and you are definatly right. However, along with the extra cost you also get seven more times the chance to reel in customers, so they pay off is pretty obvious.

Plus you can use it in your advertisements. “Call us for FREE Now”. Free is one of those magical words people love hearing and if used right can be a fantastic advertisement advantage.

I recently came across an advertisement for a mechanical repair shop which I though was absolutely brilliant. It said, “Are you sick of being ripped off by your mechanic? We give second opinions for Free!”.

The clever mechanic understood that a lot of people thought they were being ripped off by their mechanic and decided to use this to his advantage and cash in on peoples insecurities.

Here’s the catch. To get your free quote all you had to do was bring in your existing quote from a mechanic you’d already seen, and the clever mechanic would tell you if you were being ripped off or not.

From his point of view this was very clever because, 1) he is getting a chance to see an existing quote from another mechanic and have the opportunity to beat it and 2) he looks like a really nice guy and hopefully gets some referrals from other people as the guy to go to, to see if you are being ripped off or not.

Everybody knows it pays to shop around, but sometimes we forget this. The mechanics sign would hopefully remind people to get a second opinion and buy putting it on a sign (in writing) it gave the customer a reason to use his service. He was basically inviting potential customers into his business.

Another way to do this is when people call try and close the deal straight away by making some other kind of offer to get them in the door. Other than a free quote you could offer a 10% discount today only, or a free oil change plus discount with every cash payment.

Anything to get them in and make yourself look like nice people providing some sort of discounted service.

You would think this is an obvious one wouldn’t you? I mean, whats more important to your business than accepting money?

But you wouldn’t believe how many businesses out there make it a chore for their customers to give them money. A lot of businesses are more concerned with their own convenience rather than the customers, and there lies the problem.

I use my credit card for everything.  Let me repeat, “I use my credit card for everything!”  No matter how big or small the purchase.

It is convenient, quick, I don’t have to pay it back straight away, I can use it to get free flights, and most importantly I make lots of tax deductions on my purchases and using EFTPOS makes it easy to keep track of my records.

I will always use a service which accepts EFTPOS payments over one that does’nt.  In a world where technology is so abundant, there is really no excuse for not having an EFTPOS facility for your business.

I learned this lesson very early on in my business life.  Nothing made me more mad than loosing customers because I did not have an EFTPOS facility.  You have to remind yourself about the convenience you are supplying to the customer, not yourself.

How do you expect to be able to take orders over the phone without an EFTPOS facility?  Also, I’ve found a lot of people doubt the legitamacy of a businesses without EFTPOS facilities.

Make it easy for your cusomters to give you money!