How to Locate a Phone Number
Use a search website., Look for the person's Facebook account., Check the person's LinkedIn account., Search a phone book., Ask the person for their number.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Use a search website.
These sites are fairly easy to use, such as http://www.411.com/ or http://www.anywho.com/whitepages.
All you have to do is click in the search box and type in one or more of the following: the name of the person, the address of the business, or the city that person or business is located.
The search website will then compile lists of potential candidates and their phone numbers.Scroll through these search items until you see the person you think you are looking for.
Do not call or text the number until you have checked the entire list.
Once you have compiled a reasonable list of possible candidate phone numbers (4-5 phone numbers is advised), you can either text or call each number to check them out.
When you call or text them, ask nicely whether or not they are the person you were looking for.
For example: "Hello, is this Bob Jones?" If you find the correct number, remember to place it in your caller index so that you do not forget it. -
Step 2: Look for the person's Facebook account.
You can either type the person's name into Google and see what it shows, or type their name into the Facebook search bar.
If you find a familiar face, click on the account.
Underneath the person's name are a number of tabs.
Click "About." Then click "Contact and Basic Info"
which will show a phone number, address, other account names, and an email address for that person.If you are not "Friends" with this person, this information may not appear to you.
You will need to click "Request Friend" or "Send Friend Request" in order to become "Friends" with that person and see this information.
Sometimes, even when you are "Friends"
you may be blocked from seeing information, such as a phone number.
You can either click "Ask For Phone Number" or contact the person over Facebook using Facebook Messenger and ask them for their phone number. , Simply type the person's name into Google and find out what their LinkedIn account is (that is, if they have made a LinkedIn Account).
LinkedIn gives the viewer multiple ways to contact the person listed, such as a phone number, email address, business phone number, Facebook account name, etc.If the person's phone number is not on the LinkedIn account, but there is another form of communication on the account, try that one instead.
You might be able to communicate with the person over Facebook and ask them for their phone number.
Business phone numbers are also great if you still aren't sure of the person's personal phone number.
Call up the business that they work at during open hours and ask the receptionist if they have the phone number of the person you are looking to get into contact with. , While this method is slightly outdated, it still works just great, especially for home phone numbers.
Pick up your regional Yellow Pages book and search by the first letter of the person's last name.
If it is a common name, there may be more than one person with the same name.
See if you can pinpoint the person you want by address, which is usually located underneath the name in the book.If you still can't differentiate between two or three potential candidates, try all of the numbers.
Ask politely when you call to see if it is the correct person.
You can also use a more modern way.
Simply visit http://www.yellowpages.com/ to search using the person's name and/or their address. , This may seem too obvious, but if you aren't in a hurry to find their number, wait until the next time you see the person.
Walk up to them and ask them nicely, "Would you mind if I got your phone number?" Try to bring it up in conversation or at the end of one; don't just throw them off-guard.You also might want to ask one of their friends or one of your own.
See if they have the person's phone number in their phone contact list.
If you have the person's email address, shoot them an email asking them in a similar manner.
However, don't bother them with multiple emails over and over again.
Stick with one and hope that they respond positively. -
Step 3: Check the person's LinkedIn account.
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Step 4: Search a phone book.
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Step 5: Ask the person for their number.
Detailed Guide
These sites are fairly easy to use, such as http://www.411.com/ or http://www.anywho.com/whitepages.
All you have to do is click in the search box and type in one or more of the following: the name of the person, the address of the business, or the city that person or business is located.
The search website will then compile lists of potential candidates and their phone numbers.Scroll through these search items until you see the person you think you are looking for.
Do not call or text the number until you have checked the entire list.
Once you have compiled a reasonable list of possible candidate phone numbers (4-5 phone numbers is advised), you can either text or call each number to check them out.
When you call or text them, ask nicely whether or not they are the person you were looking for.
For example: "Hello, is this Bob Jones?" If you find the correct number, remember to place it in your caller index so that you do not forget it.
You can either type the person's name into Google and see what it shows, or type their name into the Facebook search bar.
If you find a familiar face, click on the account.
Underneath the person's name are a number of tabs.
Click "About." Then click "Contact and Basic Info"
which will show a phone number, address, other account names, and an email address for that person.If you are not "Friends" with this person, this information may not appear to you.
You will need to click "Request Friend" or "Send Friend Request" in order to become "Friends" with that person and see this information.
Sometimes, even when you are "Friends"
you may be blocked from seeing information, such as a phone number.
You can either click "Ask For Phone Number" or contact the person over Facebook using Facebook Messenger and ask them for their phone number. , Simply type the person's name into Google and find out what their LinkedIn account is (that is, if they have made a LinkedIn Account).
LinkedIn gives the viewer multiple ways to contact the person listed, such as a phone number, email address, business phone number, Facebook account name, etc.If the person's phone number is not on the LinkedIn account, but there is another form of communication on the account, try that one instead.
You might be able to communicate with the person over Facebook and ask them for their phone number.
Business phone numbers are also great if you still aren't sure of the person's personal phone number.
Call up the business that they work at during open hours and ask the receptionist if they have the phone number of the person you are looking to get into contact with. , While this method is slightly outdated, it still works just great, especially for home phone numbers.
Pick up your regional Yellow Pages book and search by the first letter of the person's last name.
If it is a common name, there may be more than one person with the same name.
See if you can pinpoint the person you want by address, which is usually located underneath the name in the book.If you still can't differentiate between two or three potential candidates, try all of the numbers.
Ask politely when you call to see if it is the correct person.
You can also use a more modern way.
Simply visit http://www.yellowpages.com/ to search using the person's name and/or their address. , This may seem too obvious, but if you aren't in a hurry to find their number, wait until the next time you see the person.
Walk up to them and ask them nicely, "Would you mind if I got your phone number?" Try to bring it up in conversation or at the end of one; don't just throw them off-guard.You also might want to ask one of their friends or one of your own.
See if they have the person's phone number in their phone contact list.
If you have the person's email address, shoot them an email asking them in a similar manner.
However, don't bother them with multiple emails over and over again.
Stick with one and hope that they respond positively.
About the Author
Robert Morris
Committed to making organization accessible and understandable for everyone.
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