August 18, 2003
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in this issue
-- The wisdom of Henry Ford
-- About Dick Larkin
-- Answer to Last Week's Brainteaser
-- Recommended Reading
-- This Week in Pictures
-- What I Did on My Summer Vacation
-- Who's the caddy?
-- Sharks are way cooler than goldfish
-- Zoom, Zoom, Zoom
-- This Week's Brainteaser
-- Quote of the week

The wisdom of Henry Ford back to top
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A business that makes nothing but money is a poor kind of business.
Henry Ford (1863 - 1947)

Henry Ford understood that financial success was his company's reward for providing affordable transportation to millions of people. He was consumed with building better cars, not maximizing short-term profits.

Ford also understood that without his vast dealer network, he would not have been able to accomplish this goal. He relied on salespeople to educate the public of the value of automobile ownership.

The Yellow Pages offers an affordable way for vast numbers of businesses to attract motivated customers. Making money is a byproduct of offering a valuable service to our advertisers.

I believe that the Yellow Pages sales representative is perhaps the single most important person to the success of a local business.

The typical business owner is consumed with all of the daily details and is not educated on the power of directional advertising.

The Yellow Pages sales representative is expected to educate the business owner, develop an advertisement that will attract customers, and convince the business owner to invest in his or her future.

If the sales representative fails in this endeavor, the business owner suffers because of the lost opportunity to attract the very customers who are actively seeking the services the business provides.

If the sales representative is successful, the business owner is able to provide services to more customers. The business owner can hire more employees, invest in better equipment and continually improve his or her offerings. It's a cycle that keeps rewarding everyone involved.

Believe in yourself and in the value that you provide. Patiently educate those business owners who have yet to understand the importance of directional advertising.

A good teacher doesn't give up on difficult pupils. The teacher will patiently work with them and help them achieve higher levels of accomplishment. As a Yellow Pages professional, you can never give up on your mission to provide greater service by educating local business owners.

If you always work with your customer's best interest in mind, you will eventually be regarded as a trusted advisor, because that is precisely what you will be.

About Dick Larkin back to top
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Dick Larkin is a writer and speaker who takes important business issues and makes them interesting and funny through his off beat insights.

His specialty is training sales people and business owners the most effective methods of local marketing.

He is an internationally known expert on Internet Advertising, Electronic Newsletters and Yellow Pages. Dick has helped over a quarter of a million local businesses find new customers through the Internet and the Yellow Pages.

Click on the link below for information about having him to speak to your group.

Check out Dick's Website

Answer to Last Week's Brainteaser back to top
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Lots of folks got suckered in by this one.

Buford's mother, Penny, was always proud of sharing her name with the one-cent coin. When she named her three children, she decided to share the wealth.

Her first child was born right here in the good old USA, so she named him "Dollar Bill."

Her second child was born in Bonn, Germany, so she named him Deutschmark. (They call him Mark).

Finally, her third son was born in Paris, France. Can you guess what she named him?

Click Here to See the Answer & Our Winner

Recommended Reading back to top
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	This is my favorite 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
	This is a wonderful motivational book for people who are naturally skeptical about puffery. It was written by Barry Maher, a former Yellow Pages super star who has become one of the nation's most popular motivational speakers. Plus, he's also a Notre Dame guy, like me. Buy it at Amazon
	Barry's new book is just about to ship. It's No Lie - Truth is the Ultimate Sales Tool. He uses real world examples to show how to handle the perceived negatives of your product or service and use them to your advantage. Barry's approach makes for customer service that extends far beyond any sale. Buy it at Amazon

This Week in Pictures back to top
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The California Highway Patrol traded their old cruisers for these new urban assault vehicles.

They're either really getting tough on crime or they're trying to boost the ratings of "COPS".

What I Did on My Summer Vacation back to top
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I decided to try riding dirt bikes for fun.

Man, those guys on TV make it look way easier than it actually is.


I think I'll be taking next week off if you don't mind.

Who's the caddy? back to top
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I thought it would be a good publicity stunt to show off my training skills by teaching an elephant how to golf.

Everything was great until the fat b***ard beat me by three strokes.

Sharks are way cooler than goldfish back to top
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The problem with setting little goals is that achieving them yields little rewards.




Zoom, Zoom, Zoom back to top
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Hey look!

The Hair Club for Men is having a sale!

This Week's Brainteaser back to top
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Buford and Festus are playing "Old Maid" for $1 per game.

At the end of the evening, Buford has won 3 games and Festus has won $3.

How many games did they play in total?

Email your answer to puzzler@dicklarkin.com

We'll select one entry to win a cool prize with a year's supply of bragging rights.


Quote of the week back to top
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"This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication."
Western Union internal memo, 1876.

Did you know that Alexander Graham Bell offered to sell the entire Bell Telephone Company, including all its patents, to Western Union, for the grand sum of $100,000?

William Orton, Western Union's president, told Bell to buzz off.

Read Dick's Version of History of the Telephone