September 15, 2003
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in this issue
-- The Internet Needs a New Roof
-- About Dick Larkin
-- Answer to Last Week's Brainteaser
-- Recommended Reading
-- Every Business Needs a Hook
-- Honk if You Want Whirled Peas
-- Reality TV for Cats
-- Reality TV for Kittens
-- I took up smoking just to get this cool ashtray
-- 25 winners will get a new Corvette
-- This Week's Brainteaser
-- Quote of the Week

Share the wealth . . . type in the email address of anyone you believe would appreciate this newsletter.

Special thanks to Larry Angove and the fine folks at the Association of Directory Publishers for having me speak about Internet advertising at your conference last week.

The Internet Needs a New Roof back to top
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I was in Salt Lake City a few weeks ago conducting sales training when I had an interesting conversation.

I always try to spend some time with the sales managers before seeing the team, and I went out to dinner with the local management. At dinner the Area Sales Manager had the courage to ask the question that has been holding some of his people back.

The manager is tall, tan and bursting with energy. He was concerned about the company's expectations of him to reach certain Internet sales goals.

He said, "I'm not sure that I believe that ALL of the advertisers in my print Yellow Pages need to be online."

Then, he very politely asked,

"Tell me the truth, Dick. Do you really think that a roofer needs to have an ad on the Internet?"

I was glad that he asked the question, because his people would be thinking it, even if they wouldn't ask me.

I told the manager about a call that came to me earlier that week. A roofer who advertises in a directory in central California received an unexpected call.

The caller was a property manager for a big national drug store chain, and he was calling from Chicago.

He said that he needed a roofing contractor to put a new roof on the big national chain's drug store in that central California town. They discussed the size, type, timing, etc. The roofer negotiated the deal over then phone, and put a new roof on the store.

The roofer asked the property manager how he happened to find him. The property manager said that he had seen the roofer's web site on the Internet and that's why he called.

The roofer said, "That's impossible. I don't have a web site."

The property manager said, "Yes you do, and it looks like it's some kind of Yellow Pages ad."

The property manager printed out the online ad and faxed it to the roofer so he could see it.

The roofer recognized his ad from the print Yellow Pages and called his Account Executive. He told the sales rep that he had forgotten that the Internet was part of his print advertising package, but he was certainly glad that it was included.

His net profit on this one roofing job was $14,000.

The big national chain store property manager needed a local service provider. Without a local telephone directory of the distant market, the property manager turned to the Internet.

Think about it . . .

No business is more locally focused than roofing. It's an industry consisting of thousands of local contractors. Every job is unique, and most of them are performed onsite. When was the last time you took your building across town for a new roof?

Now consider the number of chain stores in your town. There are seemingly limitless numbers of restaurants, retailers, banks, grocery stores, hotels, auto repair & service stations, and so on.

Many of those chain stores have property managers who are not based in the local market. When the plumbing breaks, the roof leaks, the windows crack, etc., the store manager calls the property manager. The property manager's first priority is to resolve the problem quickly. Price is only a secondary concern.

Those property managers use the Internet to find businesses to take care of their local investment. If a roofer, plumber, or flood recovery contractor isn't online, the property manager won't even know that they exist. The job will go to the business that the property manager finds online.

Here's the bottom line . . .

Anything that's worth putting into a printed telephone directory is worth putting online because the same types of buyers are looking for the same type of information.

The only difference is that the buyer may not have a printed directory handy and will use the internet instead.

About Dick Larkin back to top
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Dick Larkin writes and speaks about important business issues and makes them interesting and funny through his offbeat insights.

His specialty is training sales people and business owners about 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 speak to your group.

More about Dick Larkin . . .

Answer to Last Week's Brainteaser back to top
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Buford goes into a hardware store to buy something for his house trailer. When asked the price, the clerk replies,

"the price of one is twelve cents, the price of forty-four is twenty-four cents, and the price of a hundred and forty-four is thirty-six cents.

Even with both shoes off and counting on his toes, Buford is confounded.

What in tarnation is Buford trying to buy?

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.

Imagine the difference between listening to a great motivational tape and listening to Howard Stern just before walking in to see an account.

	Getting Through: Cold Calling Techniques to Get Your Foot in the Door Nearly everyone can benefit from these timeless and valuable telephone techniques. Listening while driving is a very effective way to improve your performance. Buy it at Amazon.
	Unlimited Referrals: Secrets That Turn Business Relationships Into Gold (6 Cassette Audio Album) Being referred by a current customer is a thousand times more valuable than walking in cold. Buy it at Amazon.
	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.

Every Business Needs a Hook back to top
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A smart marketer finds what his clients want and gives it to them.

Why I put pictures in my newsletters . . .

Honk if You Want Whirled Peas back to top
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Y'know, this is probably a pretty effective way to cut down on noise pollution.

This is why you remember the Ginsu Knife

Reality TV for Cats back to top
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Every week, one of the hamsters gets voted out of the cage.

Time for your Annual Review (It ain't pretty)

Reality TV for Kittens back to top
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This is the Saturday Morning version of the same show.

The E! True Hollywood Story of Michelangelo

I took up smoking just to get this cool ashtray back to top
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The Singapore Cancer Society gave away ashtrays shaped like lungs.

I dunno, I think it's a clever way of getting their message across without becoming too preachy.

Have you ever seen a Purple Cow?

25 winners will get a new Corvette back to top
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One of my readers suggested that I give away a Corvette for the top 25 correct answers to the brain teaser.

Do you have any idea how hard it is finding a Corvette that will hold 25 people?

Do You Know the Top 300 Yellow Pages Headings?

This Week's Brainteaser back to top
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Buford and Festus were guarding their still to watch for revenuers (federal revenue agents). Buford faced up the road to watch for anyone approaching from the North. Festus looked down the road to see if anyone approached from the South. Suddenly Buford said to Festus, "Why are you smiling?"

How did Buford know that Festus was smiling?

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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Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.
Isaac Asimov (1920 - 1992)

Contact Information back to top
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email: newsletters@dicklarkin.com
voice: 858-614-5425
web: http://www.dicklarkin.com
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