I got a phone call today from a gentleman in Arizona. He wanted to talk to me about a report I downloaded from him about network marketing. I wasn?t interested in network marketing, and I told him that.

But consider this.

I live in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. So that call was an international call for him. I?m guessing at least 10 cents per minute. Even though we only talked for about 30 seconds, that call still cost him 10 cents.

Imagine, for a moment, that this gentleman had 1000 people download his report, and give their telephone number. The telephone call costs 10 cents per minute. If he calls everyone who downloaded his report, can you guess how much that would cost?

Yes, $100. One hundred dollars to make maybe 3 or 4 sales of $20 each. Will he break even? No. But will he keep doing it? Of course!

What this fellow marketer did is highly effective. Calling up prospects and talking to them can get a much higher response than just sending an email ? because you can determine on-the-fly what they really need!

The problem though ? at $100 per thousand leads, this marketer is probably spending $500+ each month for his telephone bill. I sure hope the sales he makes covers that?

Now I want you to put this story into your own life. Imagine you had 5000 phone numbers of people interested in your products. You would be ecstatic! But? You don?t have $500.

Now consider all of the invitations you get into your inbox every week for free teleconferences. Some of the world?s best marketing minds hold free teleconferences and give away some of their best ideas. Problem? At 10 cents per minute, on an hour long call, each call actually costs you $6. Doesn?t sound like much, but like everything else ? it adds up. 10 free teleconferences each month and suddenly you owe your phone company $60 you don?t have.

Do you see it? $560 in telephone bills just to call your prospects and learn from marketing mentors. Not to mention calls to friends, family, co-workers, JV partners and others.

Even making $20,000 each month, $600 is still a pretty big chunk of change to spend on regular business essentials. And it can actually prevent your business from growing!

I?ve done it. I?ve gotten an invitation to a conference call that I wanted to attend so badly I would have given my first born child. But I didn?t have the money for the long distance call.

I?ve had prospects email me, telling me they were willing to pay me $3000 for an hour long consultation with me about their businesses. And I had to turn it down, because I couldn?t afford the long distance call. Can you see how this hurts business?

Telephone companies have been running this monopoly for years. Up until recently, there has been no alternative. And even with the advent of VoIP (voice over internet protocol) companies like Vonage, you?re still limited in minutes, and they don?t serve your business needs at ALL.

I remember one month, back in my early internet days, where I was calling up prospects in the U.S. Remember, I?m in Canada. I was calling up 10, 20, even 30 people each day. Each call lasted about 10 minutes.

I wanted to save money, so I used a 10-10-1234 type number, at 99 cents per call under 20 minutes. I was paying $1 each call. For 30 calls. That?s $30 a day to call prospects. My phone bill that month - $856.43.

I personally think that is crazy. I wanted a company who could provide me with what MY business needed ? but none of them did. There wasn?t a single company in all of Canada and the U.S. who cared about people like you and I, except when we grudgingly paid our $900 phone bill.

Just remember - those contacts are some of the most valuable you can ever have!