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Dick,

After participating in your "World's Best Yellow Pages Ad" contest, I thought your readers might be interested in our view of how Quality Spec Ads can be used to get the plumber, or any business owner to want an ad in the first place.

Dick's comment: Two Mobile Illustrated artists entered the Yellow Pages Ad Design contest and placed third and twelfth out of thirty eight professional designers. This is quite outstanding.

3rd Place	12th Place

For those not familiar with "Spec Ads," here's a definition.

Spec Ad: A prepared "speculative" or "suggested" rough sketch of a layout incorporating copy, illustrations, and design, used to promote the advertiser's products and services. The ad is created before the meeting with the business owner in a effort to hold a more productive presentation.

We at Mobile Illustrated would add a few basic guidelines:

1. Color is essential if the directory is printed in color. Where color isn't available, use white knock outs and yellow highlights. High quality art is a must. You should use it to show what is possible with the medium.
   
   
2. Size matters; the "norm" we mostly see is to increase two sizes from the advertiser's current listing(s). This should be adjusted by the amount of new content to be added to the customer's current advertising. Whatever size is selected, the Account Executive must be able to present a logical reasoning for it.
   
   
3. The more Advertiser Specific Information, the better. Creating a prepared Spec Ad with that specific advertiser's RASCIL factors in it helps to shorten the sales cycle. Ideally, an Account Executive can do some preliminary work so that the Spec Ad will resonate with the business owner.
   

While nobody knows the potential advertiser's business like they do, it is important for the Account Executive to have the appropriate tools to move the customer's knowledge from their brain to the advertising space.

Spec allows the advertiser to see the potential while he hears the reasons that advertising with this color, at this size, in those headings, will entice his target customers to call his company.

Look at the examples below. Which one do you think will get the client thinking creatively about how to advertise in your directory........

Prepared Process Color Spec.........

or Account Executive "drawn during the discovery conversation" artwork?

Richard Chesnut, VP of Sales at Longhorn Directories makes the following observations:

"We put Spec right next to Product and Market Knowledge in level of importance for our Account Exec's sales kit. We find that in today's world, Spec helps to stop a busy person long enough to start the selling. Putting a quality spec ad on the table tends to help focus the conversation on "what" can be done to advertise their business rather than "will" they place an ad in the publication. Once the potential customer is talking about content, they have moved from Prospect to Customer."

Thanks, and by the way, great newsletter,

Del Snyder
Mobile Illustrated Inc.
Ph: 803-772-4402 Ext 20
Fax: 803-772-5504
www.mobileillustrated.com

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	Dick Larkin Yellow Pages Commando 8344 Clairemont Mesa Blvd San Diego, CA 92111 USA			Work: 858-614-5425 Email: dick@ypcommando.com Professional Profile
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