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Watch out for this Internet advertising scam.
Millions of local advertising dollars wasted
October 23, 2006
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in this issue
-- What's a Webinar?
-- Get the DVD
-- Back up plan
Just a sec,
I know you're busy, so I'll be brief.
I've got to tell you about the most insidious
Internet advertising scam I've ever seen.
I am so angry about it right now that I'm about
to burst.
Let me back up a second.
Miguel, a lawn maintenance contractor in
a large midwestern city emailed me seeking advice
for advertising his business on the Internet.
But, that's not why I'm so upset . . .
See, Miguel tried advertising his business
online, but he didn't follow the "Golden Rule of
Local Internet Advertising."
It's not his fault. He's busy running his
15-year-old service business. He had no idea that
the rules of local Internet advertising are
fundamentally different from the rules for
traditional media advertising.
As a result, Miguel's precious advertising money
was entirely wasted because his Internet ads failed to
generate a single lead.
It was the worst business deal since the Indians
unwittingly sold Manhattan to Donald Trump for $24 worth
of Mardi Gras beads and casino naming rights.
Miguel told me that Penny, a buxom
Yellow Pages sales rep, duped him into buying an
Internet advertising package that was almost certain
to fail.
It wasn't Penny's fault. She sold Miguel the
package that her manager said was right for his type
of business.
Had Penny or her sales manager learned the two
critical elements to local online advertising, they
would have known that the package she sold couldn't
possibly be successful for Miguel.
I called and spoke with Penny and her sales
manager. The manager's name was Sue, or Sharon, or
something like that. They work for a very large,
very well known directory publisher.
Anyway, I was blown away that these two
"professionals" had no clue about the fatal flaw in
the Internet advertising that they were selling. If
they knew and were just playing dumb, they were very
convincing.
I was sick to my stomach. To see how widespread
the scam was, I pulled an all-nighter, chugging
black coffee and cursing at my computer screen.
Time after time, I found advertisers in every city
that had totally wasted their online advertising
dollars.
Then I had a moral dilemma.
I knew that if I stood alone and pointed out
this massive scam to the public, I would be sued by
several major directory publishers.
I've
received one veiled threat of litigation from
one big
publisher if I
make any more unflattering remarks about them. Although
I would certainly prevail in court (truth has a way
of doing that), their legal team would drag this out
for years.
So what's a Commando to do?
I'm exposing their scam in a public forum and
letting my guests do the talking,
that's what.
I'm hosting a webinar this
Thursday, October 26,
2006 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM PDT
to show
EXACTLY what's
going on in local web search. (convert to your
local time)
I enlisted the help of comScore, the de facto
standard of Internet traffic reporting for a LIVE
online presentation.
They're
sending over their two biggest guns, 1) all their
local research and 2) Steve Dennen, Director of
Product Management (not pictured here).
To give this session extra spark, I convinced
Peter Krasilovsky, the guru consultant to the
newspaper industry and author of the Local Onliner
blog to rip through the data and
expose the untold story of local online advertising.
 Peter may not be
a household name, but the biggest
media organizations rely on his strategic insights
when they want to know what's really happening. His
private consulting practice is booked months in advance.
A local business owner will also participate in
the call because data without direction is
meaningless. Jeremy Owens runs an auto repair
facility that has abandoned print Yellow Pages and
shifted all of his advertising dollars to local
online marketing with spectacular results.
He's revolutionized his business by attracting
much higher caliber customers who are ready, willing
and able to pay for his service without jerking him
around to cut his rates.
Jeremy is one of the brightest local online
advertisers I've met. He spent 20 hours every week
for three months researching online advertising for
his business. In his quest for knowledge,
he developed a powerful six-word question that saves
him thousands of dollars every month.
So here's the kicker . . .
I convinced my sponsors to
pay the $59 webinar registration fee for the first
250 attendees.
The bad news is that I'm limited to only 250
participants. This newsletter goes out to over
11,000 avid readers, so you know that those seats
will snapped up like flak jackets at a Dick Cheney
quail hunt.
Don't delay.
Register
now to be one of the first 250 attendees and save
$59
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What's a Webinar?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Webinar, or "Web seminar," lets you watch a
slide show on your computer screen while you listen
using your regular telephone.
How do I join a Webinar?
Getting started is easy. When you receive a
Webinar email invitation, click the registration
link and register for the Webinar. You can then join
the Webinar at the scheduled time by clicking the
"Join a Webinar" button or link in your confirmation
email, which will be automatically sent to you after
registering. You do not need to pre-install any
software prior to joining the Webinar. You
participate as a guest of the Webinar organizer, at
no cost to you.
You call into a special tele-conference line and
enter a passcode. This will allow you to hear the
presenters while viewing the presentation on your
computer screen.
During the Q&A portion, you will be able to ask
questions by pressing [5] followed by the [*] key.
Register now for this important webinar
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Get the DVD
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If you don't have the time to participate in the
webinar, order the DVD to have a permanent
recording of the audio and video of the entire
presentation.
When you order the DVD, I'll throw in an MP3
download of the audio file so that you can listen in
your hot tub.
If you order before Thursday, October 26, you'll
save $20.
After the webinar starts, the discount
ends. Sorry, no extensions.
Save $20 on the DVD and MP3
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Back up plan
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If you're too busy to attend the webinar, and too
cheap to buy the DVD, AND you're going to blindly
rely on your Yellow Pages sales rep for online
advertising advice, there is a
solution.
Follow these simple steps.
1. Write a check for $2,000 each month.
2. Mail it to your favorite Yellow Pages
publisher as a donation to their executive
retirement plan.
This way, you'll get the same number of
customers for your money (zero), and you won't be
burdened with unrealistic
expectations from your local online
advertising expenditure.
See you on the webinar.
Register now for the free Webinar (a $59 value)
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Contact Information
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phone:
760-918-1723
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I've been bragging about Kerry Randall's book on Yellow Pages Advertising for Lawyers as being simply the best book I've read for Yellow Pages advertisers. The problem was that it was targeted toward lawyers and didn't address other business types.
Wisely, Kerry updated the wonderful tips and marketing plans for any business that advertises in the Yellow Pages.
He sent me a copy for review, and I liked it so much that I bought the exclusive rights to market the electronic version.
His book is loaded with very specific examples and exercises that are easy to follow. I can honestly say that every advertiser (even a guy with a little in-column ad) will benefit by reading this book.
I've seen, and even promoted other very good YP books that sell for $50 - $150, but nothing cuts to the chase like Winning the Yellow Pages War. Kerry focuses on the critical issues that will have the biggest impact. He uses solid examples and shows ads created using his techniques.
I'm selling copies of Winning the Yellow Pages War for only $14.99. That price is far too little for the value the book contains.
However, my mission as the Yellow Pages Commando has always been to help more people be successful with their Yellow Pages advertising rather than to get rich off a few that can afford a higher price.
I'll email the book to you as a PDF document that can be read and printed using the free Adobe Acrobat reader.
I offer a 100% money back guarantee if you are not completely satisfied with your investment. You have nothing to lose.
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