In this recent economy, more and more people are being pushed out of the work force and into starting their own businesses. For some, this sudden career change has been exciting. For others, it has been scary. But for everyone, it’s been a learning experience. And one thing that everyone has to quickly learn is how to make their telephone pull its weight in their new business ventures.

For instance, you may want to add a dedicated phone line to your home for your new business. Or you may, at the very least, just change the way you answer your phone. The simple “Hello” is now changed to “Gonzales Enterprises” or “Williams Landscaping, may I help you?”

Once you have made your decision on the best way to handle how you answer the phone, the real work begins. A professional tone on the phone is essential, and proper, business-like etiquette is key. Here are a few basic tips:

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You and your family are sitting down to dinner and like clockwork, the telephone rings. The voice on the other end of the line speaks in a slow, robotic voice, like someone reading a fill-in-the-blank script. He is soliciting donations on behalf of some wonderful-sounding cause like, say, the “American Firefighters’ Gifted & Talented Amputee Fund.” You are asked to contribute whatever you can. Just give the guy reading you his script your credit card number and he will do the rest.

Not all of these calls are scams. Some are on the up-and-up. But both varieties can easily be eliminated and your dinnertime can be family time once again. Just head over to https://www.donotcall.gov, register your phone number and most of these cold-call solicitations will magically go away. Another smart thing is to upgrade your phone package to include features like Caller I.D.

However, some of these nuisance calls may persist. The more unethical the culprit behind the scheme, the more likely they will find your number and dial it. And there goes your dinnertime.
Spotting the bait

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