September 29, 2003
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in this issue
-- From the Mailbag
-- Who is The Yellow Pages Commando?
-- Answer to Last Week's Brainteaser
-- Recommended Reading
-- This Week in Pictures
-- Wherrrrrrrre's the Beach?
-- Man, I hate this intersection
-- There's no business like snow business
-- That's gotta hurt
-- How do you clean something like that up?
-- This Week's Brainteaser
-- Quote of the Week

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From the Mailbag back to top
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A CMR (a national Yellow Pages advertising agency), took me out to the woodshed about last week's newsletter "The Ugliest Pooch in the Pound." If you ask me, I think somebody needs a tad more fiber in his diet.

Dear Dick,

For over 30 years industry published results have remained fairly consistent. A big ad will garner greater response than a smaller ad, a smaller ad will garner greater response than an in-column ad. And approximately 50% of the people that have a particular business in mind will go to the white pages (with the other 50% going to the yellow pages).

Your newsletter "The Ugliest Pooch in the Pound" focused on the claim

50% of shoppers considered 3 or fewer Yellow Pages ads before making a purchase.

This means that if your ad isn't arrestingly attractive enough to be one of the first 3 ads considered, at least half of the customers you're trying to reach will never even see it.

In the San Diego SBC (PacBell) book there are 57 pages of attorney ads including 39 full page ads. I have every confidence you would agree there are some outstanding ads in this group. And you've really got to give some of them credit for trying to standout (which as you point out can be paramount to success). Published success rates in court to a question & answer ad to qualifications to ........

But according to your e-gram this morning of those needing the services of an attorney, 50% of them only looked at 3 or fewer ads.

Come on Dick, even you don't believe that! So why did you publish it? My guess is you, like so many/most in our industry, take as gospel anything that is published concerning usage of yellow pages. I am also willing to bet that if you look at how those figures were determined you would find that they came from eye tracking or a survey of a small group that were shown a well developed classification like attorneys or auto rental or movers, etc.

Just one teensy tiny problem with those methods, the people being surveyed aren't spending their money on their survey answers. When it comes to having to spend money, the overriding factor in making a decision on who to call comes from the information they were able to generate from the readings of the ads (PLURAL). The more information the better the decision.

Which gets us back to why larger ads generate a better response than smaller ads - they have the room to provide more information.

The most meaningful findings you can publish is METERED AD results. Publishing flawed survey results does not do anyone at any level any good. Especially since this writer believes they are counterproductive.

Name Withheld by Request



Dick Responds

As I wrote that newsletter, my (unwritten) question to the researchers was "What is their definition of the term 'considered'?"

I agree that of the 57 pages of Attorney ads, someone seeking a divorce attorney would need to at least scan the ads to see what turned them on. Taking the point further, it's reasonable to infer that a reader could spend a significant amount of time studying a particular ad without "considering" the attorney as one that he or she would call. That could be for any variety of reasons.

A more accurate phrase would have been "This means that if your ad isn't arrestingly attractive enough to be one of the first 3 ads considered, at least half of the customers you're trying to reach will never even 'seriously consider' it."

To make the information freely available, we now put RCF results on our web site so that everyone can see them.

As to the validity of the research, regardless if the average person looked at 2, 20 or 200. The result is the same. Well targeted, well designed, highly informative ads will generate better results than others.

Keep the faith,
Dick

Check Out Our Metered Call Results

Who is The Yellow Pages Commando? back to top
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Dick Larkin, The Yellow Pages Commando is invigorating the directory marketing world.

Through newsletters, speaking engagements, and a forthcoming book and tape series, he relentlessly challenges the status quo.

Dick has inspired thousands of business people to take a fresh approach to their marketing.

An internationally known expert on Internet Advertising, Yellow Pages, and Electronic Newsletters, Dick has marketed over a quarter of a million businesses online.

More about Dick Larkin

Answer to Last Week's Brainteaser back to top
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Buford was lost in the forest and came across two hermits. One had three loaves of bread and the other one had five loaves of bread.

The three men agreed to share the eight loaves of bread equally amongst themselves.

After they had eaten, Buford gave the hermits eight dollars to pay them for the bread.

How should the two hermits fairly divide the money?

Wow!

This brainteaser stumped 286 of the 288 people who responded.

Check the answer and this week's winner

Recommended Reading back to top
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It's a great idea to build a resource center in your office of books, tapes and videos that are available to those who want to improve their skills.

A few minutes set aside each day on self improvement will repay you many times over.

	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.

This Week in Pictures back to top
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First the good news . . .



We found Nemo.

Wherrrrrrrre's the Beach? back to top
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but if there isn't any water, isn't it called a desert?


My guess is that the real estate developer figured out that he could charge more for the lots by calling them "beach front" property rather than "desert front" property.

Why the Chicken Diva loves her job

Man, I hate this intersection back to top
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Whenever I don't cause an accident, I get a ticket for breaking the law.

This is one of my favorite sports marketing books

There's no business like snow business back to top
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I saw a special on TV of these guys making snow mobiles out of Volkswagens.




Some people have way too much time on their hands.

How AAMCO makes their TV advertising sell trannies

That's gotta hurt back to top
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Outgoing Miss America Erika Harold hammers the third and final titanium spike into the skull of Miss Florida, Ericka Dunlap in the ceremonial transfer of the coveted Miss America title.


The new surgically implanted crowns worn by Miss America have proven to be far less likely to blow off during a scandal than previous styles of crowns worn.

Check Out All My Past Newsletters Here

How do you clean something like that up? back to top
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Be careful opening the door. We don't want a big puddle of dark on the floor.

I've been studying the behavior of sales people

This Week's Brainteaser back to top
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Buford purchased a handful of magic vitamins that were advertised in an email he received.

The pills promised to make his garden plants double in height every month (or something like that).

Buford purchased a 10-month supply and buried the vitamins in his garden.

To his amazement, their magic worked exactly as advertised, and the plants in his garden doubled in height every month. Unfortunately, with all of the excitement over the vitamins, Buford forgot to plant his vegetables so now he has the tallest weeds in the state.

At the end of the 10th month, the weeds were 100 feet tall.

How tall were they after the 8th month?

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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All things are difficult before they are easy.

Dr. Thomas Fuller (1654 - 1734)


Ain't that the truth!