If your business is looking for low rates on long distance, you’ll want to contact long distance discount operators and resellers. Long distance resellers are independent retailers that secure low rates on long distance service and pass on these savings to their customers.

Long distance discount operators can offer several types of phone services at a low rate. Rates provided will typically include the cost to make local, interstate and international calls through the plan.

1. Locate information about long distance reselling. Learn the long distance discount operators and resellers basics in order to make an informed buying decision.

2. Find discount long distance phone resellers. Determine which providers that the company uses and what sort of rates you can expect to pay.

3. Look at the services provided by the long distance discount resellers and operators. Besides phone service, extras may include calling cards, toll free phone numbers and callback services.

Action Steps
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Learn about discount phone resellers

Long discount resellers will purchase a bulk amount of long distance services from a particular provider. They will receive a wholesale rate on the purchase and can then mark up the price in order to make a profit when customers buy the service from them.

I recommend: ABTolls provides an informative article about discount long distance phone resellers and how the service works. It also gives the reader a chance to review the advantages and disadvantages of using a reseller. On AllBusiness.com, you can also find some ways that resellers have helped fledgling companies while also passing on savings to long distance customers.

Discover the advantages and disadvantages of discount phone operators

Although you will likely save with a phone reseller, you'll find some disadvantages to the service as well. For instance, many public service commissions do not regulate resellers of phone service. Also, you can lose out on service if the long distance discount reseller goes bankrupt.

I recommend: The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin has an FAQs section that answers commonly posed questions about local and long distance resellers. To determine the advantages to a discount phone service provider, read the information provided by iWorld Services.

Contact a long distance reseller

Once you understand the way that long distance reselling works, you can start to contact providers in order to view rates and plans. Most companies will give you a per minute rate which makes it easy to compare companies. However, look for extra charges and fees that may apply to your business's long distance plan. This can also give you firsthand information on the business.

I recommend: Affinity Telcom is a long distance reseller that offers phone services from Primus. Available plans include long distance, international and wireless. Select your desired service in order to see rate information. Startec, another reseller, offers different plans as well, like prepaid, pay as you go and direct dial.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Remember to compare the prices of long distance discount resellers to the price provided by the actual service provider. You may find in some cases that it costs less to sign up for service directly through the long distance phone provider.

Discount long distance phone resellers are small companies that "rent" long distance minutes in bulk from a major carrier and resell them to consumers at cheaper rates. They can afford to do this because they do not have to pay costs associated with big corporations such as advertising and marketing.

You can boost your bottom line by becoming a long distance discount phone reseller for profit. You can sell discount long distance phone minutes by selling calling cards. You can also customize discount calling cards for your business or to sell to others for their promotional purposes.

Long distance discount operators and resellers can benefit your business in the following ways:

1. Long distance reselling can be done via the Internet, reducing or eliminating the costs associated with maintaining a retail location.

2. You can leverage an existing physical business location by becoming a discount long distance phone reseller and cross-selling discount calling cards.

3. You can take advantage of the marketing possibilities promotional calling cards offer businesses.

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Become an affiliate with long distance resellers

Become an affiliate of discount long distance phone resellers and you can resell minutes to other businesses for profit. Many companies today assist you with the start-up and help to market your business. Do your due diligence and get as much information about long distance reselling to fully understand what it means to become an affiliate.

I recommend: CallingCards.com has affiliate programs which allow you choices in the theme and logo of your website. SpeedyPin offers free advertising tools, recurring commissions and is free to join. Before deciding which company to work with, you can access its history by simply searching its name on the Federal Communications Commission website to see if the company has had any complaints filed against it.

Try wholesale or retail partnering opportunities with discount phone resellers

Utilize your already existing retail business to sell calling cards for big profit. Customize the cards with minutes to locations you believe your clients would be most likely to use.

I recommend: Partner with ComFi.com to become a long distance discount reseller of calling cards purchased at wholesale rates. Apply at Pingo to take advantage of its reliable network. It delivers more than 1.1 billion international phone call minutes each month.

Use long distance discount operators and resellers to promote your business

Keep your business on the minds of your customers with calling cards custom made with your company's logo. Or use this very cost-effective marketing tool to drive new customers to your business.

I recommend: Get a free quote from CorporatePhoneCards.com. Also visit PromotionalCallingCards.com.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Long distance discount resellers have gained legitimacy in recent years. However, you still need to exercise caution and beware of fly-by-night companies as you venture into this new business.

Long distance discount operators and resellers comprise a growth area in telecommunications. Since discount phone resellers' performance is regulated by the government, training is essential. Successful long distance resellers will develop thorough, standardized training programs to maximize their chances for success.

Discount long distance phone resellers are common. Therefore, long distance reselling training is readily available. Information is available in reference libraries and online. The fact that it is common means that standards for long distance discount operators are high, and long distance discount operators and resellers education and training should be viewed as a cost of doing business.

1. Develop a training program from pre-existing online materials for discount phone operators.

2. Hire experienced trainers to deliver value to long distance discount resellers and their teams.

3. Test the training program in live situations to ensure that the log distance discount operator is thoroughly trained.

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Use proven training programs save time and get results for the long distance reseller

There are many reseller training programs worth exploring. Find results from leaders in the field that have a wide variety of programs. Their reseller services include training opportunities.

I recommend: Visit the XO Communications and Verizon training opportunities online and determine which programs are the best fit for your niche. Benefits include flexibility, discounts when you bundle your hosting account with your business services account, and productivity tools and applications.

Understand detailed regulations for long distance discount operator services

Review courses that best help the long distance discount reseller understand the regulatory environment. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a growth area for long distance discount operator resellers, and there is plenty of information online to learn the benefits and pitfalls.

I recommend: Exploring the Tonex course schedule and either enroll your staff in those classes or model your program after their program. Then, visit IBISWorld to check out VoIP opportunities and regulations and evaluate whether or not that is a growth area for your business.

Look into the future of the long distance reseller business

It is important to think long term as you build this business and train your staff to successfully enter discount long distance phone reseller field. Both future trends and staffing solutions will be crucial.

I recommend: Check out Phone+ Magazine online and its work on future trends in long distance discount operators and resellers. Then, visit CBR for an article regarding Hewlett Packard's (HP) foray into discount operator services. HP is one of the pre-eminent companies in the world, and its approach can serve as a model for long distance discount operators and resellers.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Long distance discount reselling is a proven business, and the entry barrier is relatively low. A major key to your success will be hiring, recruitment, training and education. Pay attention to this, keep on top of trends and developments, and business is likely to follow, even in difficult economic times.

Long distance resellers are companies that buy phone services from an original host company and then resell those services to customers at discount rates. Since resellers aren't responsible for the costs of maintaining and operating these phone systems they are able to offer these services to customers at highly discounted rates. For business owners who are interested in becoming resellers, it's essential that they learn long distance discount operators and resellers key terms. These terms not only label the services offered, they also describe the functionality of reseller and hosting services. So, take the time to learn these key terms so that soon you can increase your business revenue.

Action Steps
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PIN-less dialing

PIN-less dialing is a long distance operator service that lets users register multiple phone numbers which they regularly use for business and personal calls. Since the company registers the numbers, you don't need to use a personal identification number (PIN), which will make dialing and receiving calls from those numbers more efficient and productive.

I recommend: Find out about the PIN-less dialing services offered by Startec.

Station-to-station

Station-to-station calling is a service that allows callers to use devices like fax machines and modems to dial calls. Since these devices can make calls, but not request certain callers to answer them, a station-to-station call allows users to receive calls from these devices without operator assistance.

I recommend: Get information about the station-to-station as part of the long distance operator services featured at Verizon.

Affiliate programs

Many long distance reseller companies offer affiliate programs as a way to offer their services to customers who then network these services to other customers and businesses. After signing up for VoIP affiliate programs, customers receive various marketing tools such as websites, where they post information about the long distance carrier. When someone signs up to the service, then the VoIP affiliate program makes money too.

I recommend: Compare the features of the VoIP affiliate programs featured at Pingo.

Reseller hosting

Reseller hosting is when a business buys a reseller hosting plan or a dedicated server and then starts its own separate company that sells those long distance hosting services to users. Many businesses are buying reselling hosting plans as a way to increase business revenue while also receiving the benefits of marketing their business services to long distance customers.

I recommend: Review the information about reseller hosting by reading the information at XO Communications.

Simultaneous connections

Simultaneous connections are multiple phone lines that connect through a teleconference platform. There are calling companies that offer simultaneous connections to companies which host fewer conference calls to a small amount of connections, and ones catering to those requiring larger connections of fifty or more.

I recommend: Learn about the simultaneous connection features offered by long distance and conference call provider SpeedyPin.com.

Customizable and promotional phone cards

Customizable and promotional phone cards offer business owners a way to increase business profitability while also promoting the business. Customize phone cards by printing business logos or art to promote the reseller hosts phone services. By using customizable phone cards, both the reseller and the host company profit while giving the customer long distance phone service at a discount price.

I recommend: Learn about ways to use customizable phone cards to increase business revenue at CorporatePhoneCards.com.