Thread: Listing a Phone Number, good or bad idea?

I'm looking for some advice about listing my phone number on my web site...

I currently do not list my phone number on my website. I originally chose to not list it because I did not want to deal with possible spam calls or "weird" people calling my house.

I do have an e-mail form people can submit an e-mail and I reply within 24 hours. However, I'm wondering if not listing my phone number is deterring people from contacting me for gigs.

Do others find that they get more business from people who directly call you? Or do more people contact you as a performer more through e-mail? Thanks in advance for any advice!

Get a cheap mobile/cell phone, on a Pay as you go basis, and keep that purely for dance business. Then it doesn't interfere with your personal privacy, you can switch it off out of "office hours", and you can keep all your business contacts together.

There were also threads on here awhile ago about using Google Voice. I've not used it yet for dance, but have set up an account and used it for a few other things and it seems to be a good solution.

Originally Posted by NazirahDances

There were also threads on here awhile ago about using Google Voice. I've not used it yet for dance, but have set up an account and used it for a few other things and it seems to be a good solution.

What is Google voice?

I have Google Voice and LOVE it. It is a virtual phone number that you assign to an existing phone either land line or cell phone. I have mine dial my cell phone and it shows up as "business line" so I know if I will be answering a business or personal call. You also get email alerts when someone calls the Google Voice number and hysterical voice transcriptions that aren't much help, but at least you are alerted that someone has called.

Originally Posted by Zabelly

I'm looking for some advice about listing my phone number on my web site...

I currently do not list my phone number on my website. I originally chose to not list it because I did not want to deal with possible spam calls or "weird" people calling my house.

I do have an e-mail form people can submit an e-mail and I reply within 24 hours. However, I'm wondering if not listing my phone number is deterring people from contacting me for gigs.

Do others find that they get more business from people who directly call you? Or do more people contact you as a performer more through e-mail? Thanks in advance for any advice!

I get a lot of business through people calling me after visiting my website. Some people want to know that they aren't hiring a wierdo belly dancer so they like to call and hear a human voice and like to ask questions on a phone call instead of back and forth emailing. I do get occasional spam calls, but I never pick them up or respond.

Though I have a designated business number (Google Voice) and don't use my personal phone number. That helps a lot with call screening and I can have a personalized business answering machine if I can't take the call.

Originally Posted by beafarhana

Get a cheap mobile/cell phone, on a Pay as you go basis, and keep that purely for dance business. Then it doesn't interfere with your personal privacy, you can switch it off out of "office hours", and you can keep all your business contacts together.

This is what I do- comes to about $10 a month (including phone purchase) and there are definitely people who are more comfortable talking on the phone. I was taught to always reply to someone via the way they contact you first (phone/email/fax/letter) because it probably indicates what they are most comfortable with and therefore the way you will get the most sales. Seems to make sense, tho I have probably had about even luck with email & phone contacts.

Besides not being bothered by weird calls or business calls when you need to be "off," it also looks more professional to have a dedicated business message if you can't take the call rather than your home answering message.

Originally Posted by crystalllized

I get a lot of business through people calling me after visiting my website. Some people want to know that they aren't hiring a wierdo belly dancer so they like to call and hear a human voice and like to ask questions on a phone call instead of back and forth emailing. I do get occasional spam calls, but I never pick them up or respond.

Though I have a designated business number (Google Voice) and don't use my personal phone number. That helps a lot with call screening and I can have a personalized business answering machine if I can't take the call.

i so agree! you are north of me, but here many STILL use a print phone book as well ! it is always usefull to know your market. if a print yellow page is being used, it has a phone #. i have always listed my #. i sincerely feel it gets no more odd calls than e mail gets spam...but thats here.

Originally Posted by crystalllized

I have Google Voice and LOVE it. It is a virtual phone number that you assign to an existing phone either land line or cell phone.

I would 2nd the use of Google Voice; although I don't have much dancing going on, I've used it for years now, since before Google bought it, and even wrote about it back then for an article in Gilded Serpent on tech tools for dancers.

I know dancers who use it and swear by it; although the "pay-as-us-go" phone has a lot of offer (among other things, near-untraceability if you pay by cash and don't live in an jurisdiction that requires ID to buy a cell phone), Google Voice provides a ton more flexibility. You can actually tie multiple phone lines into your Google Voice number, such that a call to it can ring more than one phone. You can also set it to ring a number on a temp basis, so if you're someplace w/o, say, cell service you can tie it to the nearest land-line. On the flip side, it's fairly easy to set it to dial no numbers, to drop people right into voice mail (I've actually switched Google Voice numbers, and have this setup on my old number so folks know to dial the new one via my message), to block any arbitrary number that comes through on Caller ID, and so on.

Like crystalllized was also saying, it's an easy way to get notifications of calls in your email, and depending on the situation the transcription can at least give you the general concept of the call. Google Voice also handles SMS, so you can have people text you info and you can not only get that SMS in your email, you can respond to the text via email. You can even embed a "call me" widget onto your website so people don't even need a number to call you (and, obviously, you can have those calls go directly to voice mail).

And yes, there's more, including the tight integration on Android smartphones (Apple's been...reticent to allow it on the iPhones, but I understand there's an official tool for working with GVoice on iPhones nonetheless). There's lots to it, and that can itself be a burden to learn and juggle, but the ability to have tight controls on your number, to determine exactly who can disturb your privacy and how -- that, I think, is a serious boon for anyone with a public face online. :)

I'm in the camp of DEFINITELY having some sort of phone number you can be reached at. I myself always feel more comfortable speaking to a live human if I'm interested in doing business, and I will not conduct commerce with an individual or a company if there is no way to contact a live human via the phone should I feel inclined to.

Getting strange phone calls and the occasional weirdo is part and parcel to putting yourself out there in any type of business, never mind being a woman in some aspect of show business. If the possibility of unpleasant calls seriously gives you the heeby-jeebies, develop for yourself a short script to blurt out when these calls come in (so that you aren't caught off guard) before firmly and politely hanging up and turning your attention back to the rest of your day. Although IMO these calls are very rare, once in awhile it happens, so be prepared and don't take anything personally.

I have a voice mail service which I have used for many years. It forwards messages to my cell phone. This gives the potential clients the ability to leave a message and have a "real" person get back to them. They also hear my actual voice on the out going message - which is very professional - and this does help them to feel more comfortable.

{{{HUGS}}}

I strongly agree with everything said here. Having a phone number has been great for my business too. Because I organize an event, I even got a toll-free vanity number. I've loved it. I use Ring Central, and I pay extra for it, but there are lots of features that are great for what I do (such as having multiple extensions), although most of the perks I like are probably not applicable to being a pro-dancer. Even so, just having a number is a good thing, imho.

I post my phone number on my website and on local listings such as yahoo, google, etc. I've had it posted about a year now. I use my mobile number. In one year, I received two calls from marketing offering website services and other marketing opportunities. The rest of the calls have been inquiries on classes. Most people use email even though my number is listed. But some people prefer to call. So far, no regrets.

I have 2 phones, one private and one for bellydance.
I leave my bellydance phone at home when I'm at my day job.

Most phone calls I get are for classes actually, but I have had some inquiries for performances over the phone as well!
I would never list my private phone number on my website though...

On your website, you can have your number as an image file, that'll cut down on crap calls. I don't like filling forms for link lists etc. that post my number though - but annoying calls are more of less par for the course for bellydancers in business.
I get way more weird or spam email than calls though...

Yes I think it is a good idea, why not you select a toll free number or vanity number for the business.