(4) Your personality is different. Henry's charismatic presentations bring him clients, even when he offers a complimentary talk to a marketing class. Hortense, more introverted, finds that people respond only after they get to know her.

(5) Your era is different. Henry entered market late -- just a few months ago. He's fighting for a share of a saturated market. Hortense enjoyed being one of first to offer coaching services to her niche -- eight years ago. Her reputation and contacts are like money in bank.

Bottom line: Your business model has to be driven by your own time, place, market and offering. Cookie-cutter solutions won't work -- nor will someone else's unique, successful program. Rely on your intuition and, if you hire a resources, keep focus on you and your business.

Ask yourself following questions as you review your telephone bills:

Do I recognize names of all companies listed on my bill?

What services were provided by listed companies?

Does bill include charges for calls I did not place and services I did not authorize?

Are rates charged by each company consistent with rates that company quoted to me?

Keep in mind that you may sometimes be billed for a call you placed or a service you used – but description listed on your telephone bill for call or service may be unclear. If you don’t know what service was provided for a charge listed on your bill, ask company that billed charge to explain service before paying bill.

The cost of small, incorrect charges for telephone-related services adds up over time. Make sure you know what service was provided for small charges. Crammers often try to go undetected by submitting $2 or $3 charges to thousands of customers.

Keep a record of telephone services you have authorized and used – including calls placed to 900 numbers and other types of telephone information services. These records can be helpful when billing descriptions are unclear.

Carefully read all forms and promotional materials – including all of fine print – before signing up for telephone services.

Companies compete for your telephone business. Use your buying power wisely and shop around.

If you think that a company’s charges are too high or that their services do not meet your needs, contact other companies and try to get a better deal.

Federal Communications Commission · Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau · 445 12th St. S.W. · Washington, DC 20554 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) · TTY: 1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-835-5322) · www.fcc.gov/cgb/

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This article courtesy of International Long Distance Phone Service This article may be reprinted freely, provided this attribution remains intact.