February 17, 2004
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
in this issue
-- The Final (?) Word on Photos
-- This week's 5-second question
-- Answer to Last Week's Brainteaser
-- The Yellow Pages Bible
-- This Week in Pictures
-- Shallow End of the Gene Pool
-- Local Yokels
-- Freedom Fighters
-- Room with a View
-- We're slightly miffed, and we might not take it anymore
-- This Week's Brainteaser
-- Quote of the Week

The Final (?) Word on Photos back to top
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've received a ton of emails about whether an advertiser should put his photograph in his ad.

Personally, I've always believed that a photo did more to convince someone to advertise than it did to generate calls.

I received the following email from Dennis Fromholzer, the top researcher in the Yellow Pages industry.

Dick I used to believe that photos were an image thing, but the results of a very large in-depth study I completed recently on what types of content drive calls suggests that photos actually provide value to the users. They are particularly important for attorney headings and any other heading where the consumer feels a bit vulnerable and wants to see who the person is that they might be dealing with. The results go so far as to indicate that for attorneys, smiling faces draw calls, stern or grim faces do not. Dennis Fromholzer President, CRM Associates

[The study Dennis is referring to is one where he analyzed 4,000 Yellow Pages ads that had metered lines to see exactly which ad content generated calls.]

Here are more responses

This week's 5-second question back to top
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What's your opinion?

What do you REALLY say when a potential advertiser says that he has more business than he can handle?
Especially when you know he isn't telling the truth.

I'll pull the opinions together and report them in an upcoming issue.

Send your opinion to Dick@YPcommando.com

Answer to Last Week's Brainteaser back to top
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Buford got hisself a promotion at the Tyson Chicken Processing Plant.

He's movin' up from de-beaking to the chicken warehouse.

His new boss told him that there are 3 boxes of chicken parts that are labeled incorrectly. One box is marked "Chicken Feet," one box is marked "Chicken Heads," and one box is marked "Chicken Heads and Feet."

How can Buford take just one item out of one box without opening the others to know how to label all three boxes correctly?

See the Answer & Our Celebrity Winner

The Yellow Pages Bible back to top
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Barry Maher is widely considered the leading expert on Yellow Pages advertising. He had been the top salesperson for GTE (a forerunner to Verizon) and has made a living as a speaker, trainer and humorist.

This book is funny, well researched and includes just about everything that the Yellow Pages publishers teach their people.

It's filled with practical tips as well as enough background information to serve both the novice and experienced advertiser.

I've listened to several of Barry's presentations, and he is as funny in person as he is in print.

Buy Barry Maher's excellent book at Amazon.com

Tons of Support for Tom Feist in the YP Hall of Fame!

The fine folks at the Yellow Pages Integrated Media Association told me they received a ton of email in support of Tom Feist's nomination for the YP Hall of Fame.


If you recall, I nominated Tom, because his lawsuit broke the monopoly held by the telephone companies over the right to publish telephone numbers.

The free market competition that resulted from Feist's victory probably saves advertisers more than a billion dollars every year.

I figure that without independent competition, rates could easily be 10% higher than they currently are. That 10% would be around $1.5 billion each year in the US.

It will be interesting to see if the YPIMA will recognize Tom's contribution to the millions of YP advertisers.

Stay tuned for the results . . .

Buy Barry Maher's excellent book at Amazon.com

This Week in Pictures back to top
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


My new kitten had an accident on the carpet, so I made her clean it up.

You've got to nip these things as soon as they happen.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++

And now a word from our sponsor . . .

This newsletter is underwritten by TransWestern Publishing, one of the nation's leading independent publishers of telephone directories. Serving 25 states with 340 directories, TransWestern delivers outstanding value to a quarter million local advertisers.

We've been putting loads of useful information for CMRs (Certified Marketing Representatives) on our website at www.WorldPages.com.

CMR Info at WorldPages.com

Shallow End of the Gene Pool back to top
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


There's a reason that we design our internet directory so that it doesn't take a rocket scientist to use.

See how easy we've made WorldPages.com

Local Yokels back to top
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Paid local search is where all the action is in the Internet Yellow Pages space.

This upcoming Kelsey conference strikes at the core of the issue . . .
How do we get rich selling paid, local search?

The major search companies all believe that local is going to be big. Here are a few quotes

Google . . . "this local thing is gonna be big!"

Yahoo! . . . "Oh yeah, . . . well we think it's bigger than big."

MSN . . . "If Google thinks it's big, we thought so first."

AOL . . . "Uh, now tell me again, is "local" where people live, or where they work?"


[Disclaimer: these not real quotes . . . I just made them up. Don't sue me. Real quotes along with fancy charts and graphs will be available at the conference.]

Digital Directories: Drilling Down on Local Search

Freedom Fighters back to top
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Weapons of mass destruction?

I've got your weapons of mass destruction right here, Buddy.

I've started a links directory on my website.

Room with a View back to top
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One man's fear is another man's fortune.

If you do that which frightens others, you'll always be riding high.

Here's one of the better letters I received on photos

We're slightly miffed, and we might not take it anymore back to top
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


It's not so important WHAT you have to say; but that you get out there and say it.

The transmission fell out of my car (seriously).

This Week's Brainteaser back to top
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Buford is an eBay junkie. He bragged to Festus that he bought the following items.

• A prehistoric arrowhead made of copper.
  
• The fossil skeleton of a dinosaur no bigger than a chicken.
  
• An ancient Roman coin marked 120 B.C.
  
• A red diamond ring.
  
• An ancient Egyptian cat mummy.

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
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising."

Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)