Why I No Longer Give Out My Phone Number

When I started out in the business of speaking and writing, I was told marketing was key. That to be successful I had to market myself consistently. And so I did!

I had business cards, with my phone number, email address, BB pin, website, bank account number everything … you name I had it. I would give out the cards to as many people as possible all in the name of “marketing.”

But today … I don’t give out any business cards. I don’t even bother printing them anymore. And if you meet me outside and ask for my number with a gun stuck to my head, chances are that I will give you a fake number just to save my life.

Why?

Because I could not keep up with the calls, they became time consuming and started affecting business. The worst part were the random calls from people who acted like you owed them something simply because you made the grand mistake of giving them your number!

But no matter how careful I am, my number still ends up in the wrong hands … so here’s what I do …

If a number shows up without a name attached to it, I respond with this text message:

“Can’t talk now. What’s up?”

If its important enough they will leave a text message, from the text message I will know whether or not to return or reject the phone call. This little step has added days to my life.

Now why is all this shit important?

When you start out in business you have to go above and beyond to get your contacts out there, but after a certain time (and if you are successful) you will reach a point in your career where you have to give out your contacts less or get stressed.

You need to recognize when this happen and don’t be afraid or feel guilty for holding back your number and ignoring phone calls! It will happen especially if you are successful.

Words by Okechukwu Ofili of ofilispeaks.com
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