Yellow Pages Commando News [how to make the phone ring]

G'day y'all! (That's southern Australian in case you didn't know.)
Must be something in the water because about a bazillion people from Sensis Yellow Pages in Australia subscribed to the YP Commando News in the last few weeks.

That reminds me . . . send me the email addresses of your team, and I'll comp them a subscription.
Heck, for 10 minutes a week they won't be bugging you for a raise :-)

Thanks,
Dick
Dick@YPcommando.com

By the by, I'm testing a new email sending service, so please bear with me if you receive duplicate copies of the newsletter.

How to make the phone ring back to top
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In our last episode (click here if you missed it), Lars was cooling off in the county jail holding tank. Gloria, his dutiful wife was flipping through the Yellow Pages looking at Bail Bonds ads. She’s trying to determine if one bail bond company is any better than any other.

She’s frustrated because the ads were not appealing to her emotional or intellectual needs.

She’s looking for someone she can trust to get her idiot husband out of jail. She’s an emotional wreck and she wants to be comforted.

She also has a load of questions, but is leery of being pressured into a bad decision.

Last time, we discussed effective headlines that a bail bond company could use to appeal to Gloria (click here to review them).

Now, we’ll look at what a bail bondsman should have in his ad to get Gloria to call him first.

Call our
24 hour Confidential Answer Line

A free, private discussion to answer all your questions.

- How can I avoid court?

- What can keep my name out of the newspaper?

- What 7 words may get my bail reduced?

- How can I arrange bail without cash?

- When should I call an attorney?

Call now . . . our professionals are standing by to assist you 24 hours a day.

Free Call
1-800-555-1212

Local number (415)123-4567

Se Habla Espanol

The advertiser’s goal is to get qualified shoppers to call so that he can sell his service.

Remember, a Yellow Pages ad will not close a sale. It will open a dialog by getting the shopper to call.

Everything in the ad should be designed to get the customer to place a call into the advertiser.

Use emotional trigger words to form a sympathetic bond with the shopper. She wants to feel trust and comfort, so use the words "confidential", "private", "free", "assist", and "professionals". All of these words build confidence.

Don't include answers to the questions. Leave the shopper hanging so that she feels that she must call to get some relief. If you give her the answers, she might not call.

An answer line can be used by any type of business. It’s an effective way to intensify and focus the shopper’s anxiety so that she will call the advertiser to get some relief.

Once the advertiser has the shopper on the line, he can begin qualifying the prospect and position his service to satisfy her needs.

Pretty cool, huh?

Sweat Sock Stuffers back to top
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Just in time for the holiday, order a gift that will ensure a Prosperous New Year.

(If you're shopping for me, stick with booze.)

	Dick - the advice on building a resource center is great. A must have Video is the Steve Schiffman - Cold Calling Techniques. I have required all of my districts to have it on hand and show it frequently to the AE's. It is very good training on how to set appointments. Just an FYI. Steve Boucher Buy it at Amazon.
	My friend Michelle Nichols writes about professional selling for BusinessWeek Online. She's taken her best articles, features and tips and recorded them on a great CD. I like that it's broken up into usable bits and pieces. Great for anyone in sales who does much windshield time. Do me a favor and tell her "Dick sent me." Check it out on her website.
	I am amazed that more of the professionals in this industry haven't bought this book to help their people become more successful. If you won't invest in training your people, how do you expect them to build the skills they need? This is an outstanding book on Yellow Pages advertising. It helps anyone who relies on the Yellow Pages for customers to design ads that will have the maximum impact. It's specifically targeted to attorneys, but the lessons apply to every Yellow Pages advertiser. Buy it at Amazon.
	"Getting the Most from Your Yellow Pages Advertising" by Barry Maher has become the bible for people interested in utilizing directory advertising to its fullest extent. Barry provides an amazing amount of insight and information in a light, easy to read format. He was the #1 YP sales person for GTE, and has become a top sales trainer and speaker. I wanna be just like him when I grow up. Buy it at Amazon.

Answer to Last Week's Brainteaser back to top
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Buford and Festus were arguing who was the faster of the two.

They decided to run across a pasture, touch the big oak tree on the other side and run back to the starting point.

Festus paced himself, and ran a steady 20 miles per hour to and from the tree.

Buford recalled how great Olympic runners save their strength for a strong finish. So he ran 10 miles per hour to the tree, but kicked it into high gear and ran 30 miles per hour all the way back.

Who won the race?

Special Offer for Subscribers back to top
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Hey, I'm sorry already. The link was down for a couple of days last week, and you'd have thought that Michael Jackson got arrested or something. It's back up now, so you can get the free report.

Steve Hackney agreed to offer his power marketing system at no cost to my subscribers! (You can thank me later.)

I'm always on the lookout for good ideas to steal, and his marketing programs are truly outstanding.

I got on my "Headline Kick" after reading his outstanding book, The Wipeout Technique.

This Week in Pictures back to top
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Ooh yeah Baby . . . Work it.

I received a few requests for this article on dealing with business owners who think they don't need to advertise because everybody already knows them.

Cruisin' for a bruisin' back to top
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In case you are not nerdy enough on a regular moped, now you can get a "Starship Enterprise Moped" and qualify for the "Hall of Shame".

Insurance against getting a wedgie from the neighborhood bullies is optional.

A while back I reprinted a story about the World's Greatest Salesman who appeared on the Merv Griffin Show.

Here it is again.

Harry Caray would have loved this back to top
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Gateway Computers is trying really, really hard to get the Vatican's business.

Starbucks in the Dairy Business back to top
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There probably ought to be a law against mixing caffeine with milk.

Lactose intolerance is bad enough without a turbo booster.

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Have you ever wondered why nobody advertises in the Yellow Pages?

Read this and find out why.

Pig Fly, Cows Frolic . . . yeah whatever back to top
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Mark my words . . .

In the future, you'll be buying Holstein safe tuna.

You heard it here first.

Christmas Gift Idea #97 back to top
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On second thought, maybe it's not such a great idea to give permanent markers to families with small children.

This photograph (along with many other great ones) sent in by Curt Wilson of Directory Solutions Ltd.

Here's his free link for sending me stuff.

This Week's Brainteaser back to top
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At the Thanksgiving feast, Buford asked his 5-year-old cousin Sally Sue what they were having for dinner.

She answered him in a riddle because she likes to see him scrunch up his face when he's trying to concentrate.

She told him they were having her favorite meal . . .

You throw away the outside.
You cook the inside.
You eat the outside.
You throw away the inside.

What will they be eating?

Email your answer to puzzler@dicklarkin.com

We'll select one entry to win one of the few remaining bottle-poppers with a year's supply of bragging rights.

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

Want some free airtime? Send me a photo, idea, tip, quote or cash, and I'll throw you a link.
Quote of the Week back to top
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When I'm working on a problem, I never think about beauty. I think only how to solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.

R. Buckminster Fuller (1895 - 1983)