The times are hard.  Sometimes good businesses can no longer keep their doors open, but when your competitors close their doors it means opportunity for your business.  Most businesses that close their doors think that the only assets with any value are their furniture and equipment, but they are wrong.  Their customer list is worth something, albeit not to them because they will no longer be in business, and their phone number is worth something as well.
     Think about how powerful a competitor’s phone number is.  The phone number may be in the yellow pages or on a magnet on the fridge of their current customers.  Imagine if you could pick up your competitor’s disconnected phone number – you’d have one more portal for gaining customers for your own business. 
     Here’s how you go about using your competitor’s disconnected phone line to grow your business:
1. Look in the yellow pages or on the Internet to find your competitors.
2. Call them up.  If you get a message that the phone number has been disconnected or is no longer in service you’ve found a phone number that you can use.
3. Contact the phone company about picking up the line.  Many phone companies keep the line as disconnected for up to one year in case the business opens up again and wants the same number.  In this case, call the owner of the closed business and offer to buy the line if he or she will have it transferred to you.  (Often a $50 - $100 gift card to a restaurant will be enough to have the owner call and transfer the number to you.)
4. Answer all the calls that come in on that line and let the caller know that the business they were previously dealing with is out of business and that you would like the opportunity to serve them.
     As I’ve shared this idea with business owners, some have expressed concern about picking up abandoned phone numbers especially if the previous company filed bankruptcy.  They have expressed concern about having bill collectors or upset customers calling.  It is true that you may get some of these calls, but with a little bit of finesse you can explain how you got the phone number and that you would like to show them how successful companies stay in business by treating their customers right.
     You will need to determine what you think the phone number is worth.  The longer it has been disconnected the less likely a customer will call and the less value the number has.  You also have to know what the value of a customer is for your business.  If you are an interior designer and your average client pays you $7,000, then all you need is one client from the phone number and your return on that $100 gift card is well worth it.