A lot of start-up small businesses that we see have a "David versus Goliath" attitude. They invest a lot of energy, thought, focus, and funds into their venture; they can take on the world, the big bad corporations that they see as their biggest challenge. They have the know-how, the right approach, the customer-focus, they have everything needed to really succeed. But after a few slow months, these entrepreneurs lose steam. In many cases, we hear complaints that they just couldn't compete with the "big guns." Nonsense!

Our view is that entrepreneurs have a tremendous edge over their the Big Bad Corporation. From a financial angle, entrepreneurs typically do not have as many expenses -- just think of the layers and layers of useless management that large corporations have! Not only that, but entrepreneurs can offer better service to their clients because they don't have to worry about the same reels of red tape or bureaucratic time-wasters. Of course, small businesses don't have the same financial resources as their larger competitors, but they often don't need to. Small business owners honestly stand to benefit from the inadequacies produced by big companies. Why haven't they?

In more cases than not, small businesses project the presence of a small company. While the customer experience might be exponentially better than that provided by the Big competitor, how can someone with a small presence attract a customer in the first place? After all, a customer looking to spend money on a product or service that is offered by a company whose phone number is 1-800-BUY-OURS will have a much easier time locating the bigger competitor. As a result, this business gets sourced to the bigger company. So how can the small business or entrepreneur compete with a Big Presence Almighty Corporation? There are several ways that we recommend to Build Presence, but the one item that is too often ignored is the toll-free number! Imagine that.

A toll-free number allows the smallest of small businesses to look big. Picture a prospect who needs your services and all this prospect can consult is a phone book. Who would you choose, the small company with the local phone number, or the company with a local number AND a toll-free number? Of course, a toll-free number doesn't differentiate between great service and plain old good service, but you can't blame the customer for picking the business with the toll-free number. This enables the customer, who is always busy, to obtain service while out of town or away. Sure, the customer buys locally, but she will expect service globally! Give that some thought.

The great thing about setting up a toll-free number is it doesn't cost an arm and a leg. With the advantage of technology, these numbers can be set up in a matter of minutes. Better yet, calls can be routed directly to your cell phone so you don't miss a single call. Any unanswered calls will be answered by your existing voicemail (rather than an off-site service). This allows you to focus on other business development activities or to enjoy your free time. Sure beats sitting around your office waiting for the phone to ring.

The service Quote Stork recommends comes at a price of $39.99/month. Our no-frills solution provides unlimited minutes where others limit your usage, it works in the entire USA, it allows you to use existing infrastructure without charging you to set up yet another voicemail, etc..

For the very small business owner who is serious about tackling larger competitors, a toll-free number provides a valuable customer service advantage. Suddenly, the story of David and Goliath rings true.