Nov. 10, 2003
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in this issue
-- Step away from my ad please . . .
-- Recommended Reading
-- Answer to Last Week's Brainteaser
-- He||'s Littlest Angel
-- Minnesota Needs Gooder Proofreaders
-- Thanksgiving's Coming
-- Microsoft's Plan for Salesforce Automation
-- Internet Advertising
-- This Week's Brainteaser
-- Quote of the Week
Last week we added more new subscribers than ever before. Muchos Nachos, Amigos

Did you know that anyone may sign up for a complimentary subscription of this newsletter?

Go to www.YPcommando.com and sign up your peeps.

It's not too late to enter our Headline Contest!

What's the best headline you've seen in a Yellow Pages ad?

I have received several good ones. By far the most disgusting is for a septic service in Wisconsin that says, "Your Poop is My Bread and Butter" Eeeeeew!

You may select any heading that you want, but special preference will be awarded to headlines for . . .

• Attorneys
  
• Contractors (any type)
  
• Automotive

Step away from my ad please . . . back to top
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The other day I was speaking with my friend, Laleh. She’s a real estate agent in La Jolla, California.

In case you don’t know about La Jolla, it’s the “real” San Diego Zoo where gawking midwestern tourists come to ogle California’s rare and exotic breeds showcased in shiny display cases (also known as convertibles).

To call La Jolla expensive is a tad of an understatement. The average home in an average neighborhood with an average postage stamp yard sells for a mere $1,209,383, while the median home (a double-wide trailer on concrete blocks) goes for $935,000.

Personally, I’m a little fuzzy on the technical difference between an average home and a median one. But honestly, does it really matter?

I have no doubt that Laleh is a good real estate broker. Oh sure, I’ve never bought a million dollar "handyman special" from her, but she’s the type of perfectionist who excels at everything she does. As you can imagine, every Thom, Mick & Perri in La Jolla is a real estate agent. It's one of the most competitive markets in California.

She hammers her message with frequency

In her advertising, Laleh believes in consistency and depth. She primarily advertises her real estate business on 16 bus stop benches around La Jolla. She’s had the same bench ads for several years.

Laleh’s bench ads are clustered in the high traffic areas around Nordstrom’s, Whole Foods and the Hyatt Regency. Y’know . . . La Jolla’s low-rent district.

Of course the good thing about the location of her bus bench ads is that nobody in La Jolla rides the bus so her ads are always visible.

She told me that those bench ads build her great name recognition and that people often tell her that they’ve seen her picture around town. Personally, I see them all the time when I’m waiting for a bus.

I asked Laleh what other advertising she did. She said that she used to run ads in the local newspaper, but has stopped and is using a little direct mail to build her business. She’s registered a domain name, but doesn’t have a web site yet.

Fishing without a hook

I like the way Laleh uses bench ads because she uses so many of them that she builds name recognition.

The downfall of relying strictly on the benches is that it’s like fishing without a hook. Lots of prospective clients see her ads, but are not in a position to call at the exact moment. She needs to set the hook when they’re ready to make a call.

I’ll show you how she can use a Yellow Pages program to tie down the interest that she’s created with her bench ads.

Oh man, you've gotta see how this turns out.

Recommended Reading back to top
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Several people asked me how to get a copy of the e-book on Yellow Pages that I raved about last week.

Follow the link below to get your copy.

I am particularly impressed with the section on writing headlines. You can't underestimate the impact a good headline will have on an ad. That section alone is worth the price of the book.

Keep on the lookout for my upcoming book after the first of the year . . .

The Yellow Pages Commando Guide to Directory Domination
110 Insider Secrets to Turn Your Advertising into Weapons of Mass Production

From basics to brilliance, I cover the techniques that have been proven to generate calls.

I'll be offering my subscribers a limited special offer on the manual.

Also, I'm looking for a couple of people who are interested in being proof readers. Drop me a line if you're interested.

Click here for your free Power Marketing course

Answer to Last Week's Brainteaser back to top
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This brainteaser was submitted by my 8 AND A HALF year-old daughter, Rebecca.

She hopes that nobody answers correctly so that she can win a bottle-popper.

Buford was toiling away on his undergraduate degree (3rd grade) when his tricky teacher posed the following question.

"What English word begins with the letter "E" and ends with the letter "E" but only contains one letter?"

Sorry Rebecca . . . your hopes and dreams of bottle-popper ownership have been dashed by hordes of selfish puzzle answerers.

Click Here to See the Answer & Our Celebrity Winner

He||'s Littlest Angel back to top
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Don't mess with me, Buddy. I've got a Pamper full of attitude and I'm itchin' for a fight.

Why does this CMR think I'm an idiot?

Minnesota Needs Gooder Proofreaders back to top
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I'd say Jesse Ventura left quite a legacy during his term as Governor.

Read Henry Ford's definition of a successful business.

Thanksgiving's Coming back to top
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My wife asked me to do the grocery shopping for our first Thanksgiving as a married couple. Man, that was a disaster! I nearly had a nervous breakdown from the chaos. We're still married, but now she does the shopping for that feast.

Merv Griffin and the World's Greatest Salesman

Microsoft's Plan for Salesforce Automation back to top
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So many technology companies think that technology will replace the premise salesman.

There is no replacement for a "belly-to-belly" sales presentation because you can't email a handshake.

Advertising advice for the invisible plumber

Internet Advertising back to top
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The internet doesn't replace other forms of advertising, but it does tip the balance of power in favor of those who use it wisely.

What Marian King wants from her lawyer

This Week's Brainteaser back to top
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Buford loves shopping at Costco. Recently, he bought the "Mega-Mega-Pack" of work gloves. He has no plans to do any actual work, he just can't pass up a bargain.

The pack includes 6 pairs of black gloves, 6 pairs of gray gloves and 6 pairs of brown gloves.

He tossed all of the gloves randomly into an old bait bucket he keeps next to his waterbed.

In complete darkness (because he didn't pay his light bill) how many gloves does Buford have to pull out of the bucket before he is certain to have a matched pair of right and left gloves of the same color?

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.


Quote of the Week back to top
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The best way to make a long story short is to stop listening.

anyone? . . . anyone?