The Conference Coach™

Carolyn Bradfield

When it comes to buying anything, I would not describe myself as a shopper.  A shopper is a person who gets pleasure from looking around, seeing what’s out there, finding things that fill a want and not a need and spending time in the social experience that shopping can often generate.  I am so not that person, even though a lot of my friends are.  Maybe that comes from growing up in a small southern town that had 1 department store and no Sears or Kmart.  Shopping just wasn’t that fun.

I would however describe myself as a competitive bargain hunter.  I have very few “wants” and most of my needs are already met.  I’m not fashion forward, but have things that are useful year after year.  A competitive bargain hunter enjoys the thrill of the hunt and the excitement of finding the bargain.  We are willing to invest time to weigh the options, know the discounting patterns of our favorite retailers, and invest in the research on Internet sites such as craigslist.

It baffles me when I run into people who are satisfied with paying more than then need to for products or services they use regularly.  Sometimes this happens because they have little to no financial incentive to save money.  As an example, insurance companies don’t really motivate their customers to be frugal.  For my high cholesterol, my doctor originally prescribed Lipitor and the drug did its job.  My number dropped by 40%.  I was elated.  However, even after the co-pay, the price was over $60 per month.  I did my research and found that there were a number of generic drug equivalents and asked my doctor to write a new prescription.  I took it to Wal-Mart and for $4 came away with the new drug.  My cholesterol numbers didn’t go up.  If Aetna would reward me for shopping around, there’s no telling how much I could save on their behalf!

Stay tuned and I’ll blog about how Ann Taylor, Kohl’s, and Banana Republic fund my very large Christmas list when I shop the months after Christmas with coupons, emails to alert me when the price drops, and extra percentages off on special days.  Their styles are classic and everyone seems to be happy with the cashmere, sweaters, and classic styles.

Being a competitive bargain hunter requires that you do a little research, compare and contrast and be willing to slightly alter how you do business.  Given the fact that I’m a competitive bargain hunter in my personal life, one can expect that I would translate that spirit into Copper Conferencing.   Here is where we are going to help you start the process of saving money by just changing your habits slightly.

Most of us dial toll-free numbers to get into a conference call.  However, most of us are taking those calls from our offices or a fixed location.  And even if we take those calls from our cell phone, we usually have plans that give us long distance for free.  I started asking myself, “Is dialing a toll-free number to get into a conference call really necessary?”   And if not, what is the alternative?

I stumbled on the fact that there are networks of local dial in numbers that can access a conference call exactly the same way a toll-free number can.  Dialing a local number is always less expensive.  There is no long distance charge for the user and it cost less money for me as the provider to offer it.  If customers are willing to slightly alter how they enter a call, then they can save money.  Get ready, because Copper is going to show everyone how to use local dial in just as easily as you use a toll free number.  You can join my competitive bargain club with this one simple conferencing secret.

I hate paying more than I have to for anything…….for my monthly cholesterol drug, for that Ann Taylor outfit and to get into my conference call.  Read my next blog and I’ll show you just how painless it is to do it.   I’ll also give you my key secrets to competitive bargain hunting.  I promise it will be worth it!

Carolyn Bradfield is the CEO of Copper Conferencing, a leading provider of audio and web conferencing and wrap-around services to enhance customer experience. You can try Copper’s great web and audio conferencing services — FREE. Just sign up now.