Open Mike Night

Open Mike Night back to top
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I received a letter last week from a disgruntled former Yellow Pages advertiser who has lost the faith.

Before I post my response, I thought it would be a great opportunity for those YP professionals across the land to share their insights.

How would you respond to his questions?

Dear Dick,

Obviously, you are sold on the value of Yellow Pages advertising. So, I must ask your thoughts on the following:

I owned a heating and air conditioning company for more than 20 years. Yellow Pages was a terrible headache for me.

First, heating and air conditioning were divided headings and I was forced to buy ads under both headings.

Second, each ad only generated business on a seasonal basis with few or no calls during the remaining months of the year.

Third, calls for repair service on heating and cooling equipment only came in during the hottest or coldest times of the year . . . times when my technicians were already loaded with work.

Fourth, calls for quotes on new heating and cooling systems only resulted in a 10% closure rate. It appeared that yellow Pages inquiries were generally from price shoppers.

With all that said, what I want to hear is how I was totally wrong in my opinion and how yellow pages advertising could have been a boom to my business. Am I nuts...or what?

Richard O.
Jacksonville, FL

His sentiments are shared by many, many business people who are frustrated with YP.

You may respond to any or all of his concerns. Send your comments to Dick@YPcommando.com or fax them to (815) 327-8883.

If you include your complete name, title, company and web address, I'll give you full credit for your views.

Muchos Nachos,
Dick

The Yellow Pages Store is Open back to top
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There are several good books available on Yellow Pages advertising. I've put links to my picks in The Yellow Pages Store.

Answer to Last Week's Brainteaser back to top
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Here's one for the sports fans . . .

The Los Angeles Lakers are having some minor dissention in the ranks following their easy romp over the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Championships. (I'm in denial, OK.)

This begs the obvious sports question,

Where are the lakes that gave the Los Angeles Lakers their name?

Size Matters . . . back to top
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Tainted research? . . . You Decide.

Almost every Yellow Pages publisher quotes research studies concluding that larger, thus more expensive, ads generate a disproportionately larger number of calls.

This is probably true, but beyond being more eye-catching, the more important aspect is that ads with more relevant information for the buyer will generate more calls as long as the information is easily read.

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Speaking of McDonalds, here's an early column I wrote for our sales people about the effect of asking just one little question.

New Subscriber Drive . . . the Hard Sell back to top
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Everybody forward this newsletter to at least one person or the kitty gets it.

The End of the Yellow Pages? back to top
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Construction is nearing completion on the beach vacation town home that my wife purchased.

I missed the advertising deadline for TransWestern's Carlsbad Directory, so I bought some keyword advertising on Google and Yahoo.

I've invested less than $50, and she's already received one booking for $1,700 from our website!

It took less than week and I can track how effective each word is and make instant adjustments.

The world of directional advertising is changing, my friends.

Stop the Eye . . . Start the Sale back to top
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It takes a plumber with a pretty good sense of humor to do something like this.

He might not be presenting a totally professional image, but you can sure bet that he gets people talking about him.

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Got a good tip for YP advertisers? Send it my way, and I'll give you the credit.

Waiter, there's a hair in my drink back to top
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I knew I should have ordered the low carb beer.

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Subtle Hints back to top
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I spent nearly 30 minutes playing for one of the greatest basketball coaches of all time.

From the Police Blotter back to top
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Must have been the Los Angeles Police Department.

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Because it is an election year, the Democrats will need to convince the public that they can do a better job than the current Republican administration. That's the beauty of our political system.

It's important to not allow our own business practices to suffer by focusing on what's wrong with the economy.

This Week's Brainteaser back to top
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Buford and Festus were digging for artifacts in their backyard when Festus looked up at Buford and exclaimed.

"Hey Buford, I found me something that's been around for millions of years, but it ain't no older than a month."

Can you guess what Festus found?

Email your answer to puzzler@dicklarkin.com

The winner will receive an amazing array of WorldPages.com goodies.

To improve your random chances of winning, please include your name, company name and mailing address.

I draw the winner the day before I send the following newsletter, so enter early and often.

Quote of the Week back to top
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"FIRST, CARRY TO FIRE."

- Instructions on a fire extinguisher

We were thinking about adding this to the instructions for using our sales presentation binder.

First - sit in front of a customer.