Dial R for Remodel

Easy-to-remember phone numbers dramatically increase advertising response rates, according to a study by Michael J. Motto Advertising, Providence, N.J. The study found that radio ads with a vanity 800 number drew 14 times more calls than those with a numeric 800 number. (800) REMODEL is already taken, and Remodel.com snapped up (888) REMODEL. Terry Taylor, owner of Southbay Remodeling in Los Angeles, purchased (877) REMODEL, a national toll-free number, a year ago. "I won’t even tell you how much [I paid]," he says. For Southbay, it’s been a wise investment. "I do a lot of advertising, and the number is more often remembered than the ad," says Taylor.

Now Taylor, who only needs (877) REMODEL for the Los Angeles area, plans to lease his vanity number to interested remodelers in different regions of the United States for $100 a month. For more information, call Taylor at, what else, (877) REMODEL.