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Skype is already changing the way we do we do business, even as you are reading this. A little piece of software that uses VoIP (Voice Over IP) and P2P (Peer-to-Peer) technology, it created waves after waves of excitement, anticipation and even frustration since it is launch.

If you have never heard of Skype, your competitors are probably already ahead of you. The "Hype on Skype" as I call it, is justified for one reason alone: it really IS the communications tool of the future.

Skype is a breakthrough softphone application that allows you to make phone calls from your PC direct to another Skype user, or any regular fixed or mobile telephone. The cost is extremely cheap, and the quality has seen massive leaps of continuous improvement since it''s launch in 2003. Everyone knows all that.

Here is what most people don`t know: Skype can be used as powerful and effective marketing tool for any small business. If you want to reach an international market, get telephone inquiries and leads from China, or even if you just want to use it to communicate with your business buddies, you should explore the hidden potential of Skype.

Using Skype as a marketing or telemarketing tool basically revolves around these facts:

1) The Power of SkypeIn and Virtual Numbers

SkypeIn, a feature of Skype still in beta, allows you to create virtual numbers in many different countries. If you maximize on this fact, you can literally have "virtual offices" all around the world, even if you''re a home based business entrepreneur with no staff, an embarrassing budget and limited time.

2) The Power of Third-Party Applications

There are many third party applications that enhance the basic software. No, I am not talking about the ones that allow you to create cute icons or change the ring tone of your incoming Skype calls. Those are nice, but I am talking about the business-related applications. If you know the correct ones to use, you can literally build a "virtual call center" from your desktop that has all the feature of a real call center: your own personal secretary, day-and-time manager, call routing and call waiting, conditional call forwarding, language translations and much more.

3) The Integration Capabilities

If the "off-the-shelf" version just does not cut it for your business needs, then you can customize and adapt Skype into your own proprietary systems and software. You can choose to do this in-house, or outsource it to experts all over the world. If you know where and how to do this, you can create a powerful telemarketing application that cost pennies a day compared to the traditional solutions. It will be much more time-efficient, too.

So I will say it again: Skype is the communications tool of the future. Learning how to use it effectively in a sales and marketing context could be the deciding factor between "just another year" and "termendous year" for your business.

By Gobala Krishnan