The tide has turned on Yellow Pages

Bob Foster

Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2006
Messages
8,870
I got my new YP books delivered today and got to see where all my competitors put their money. Two of the big guys dropped their double page ads down to a single quarter page ad.

Yellow Page reps rank right up their with lawyers, used car salesman and a certain glide salesman we all know. The YP scumbag I dealt with told me many of my competitors were considering increasing their YP ads - I saw right through her and she was justly rewarded.

I made the decision to not put in a display ad and placed only a bold in-column box ad. I hope I nailed it right. I am working on the website now because I think that is where its at.
 

Jim Williams

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Joined
Oct 8, 2006
Messages
1,462
Location
Bynum N.C.
Name
Jim Williams
Good decision Bob. The YP are declining a little bit each year. I reduced mine to a small box and to tell you the truth I am getting more calls from it. I guess customers realize that companies have to pay for those full page ads.

I caught the Verizon rep in several lies as he tried to swindle me. I was thrilled when I got the book and there were no display ads under carpet cleaning. The lady that does the talking phone book is a master at her craft. You should have heard her story about the dentist that dropped his ad and the next year came back to her with tears in his eyes because his family was going hungry because of the loss of business. I had to laugh!

I just designed a website and am going to do the neccessary steps it takes to get it to come up on search engines, may even try some pay per click ads in a few places.

Good luck!

BTW I took a $1000 loss on one YP ad last year. Never again . The rep always answers that one with "But think about all your repeat customers that can't find you." or "The YP doesn't always get the credit for all the calls that you get when it should." That's why I mail to my customers and leave them a refrigerator magnet, and soon will be leaving them a spotter bottle with my name. Howard Partridge doesn't do YP ads and look at his business!
 

Jimmy L

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Joined
Oct 7, 2006
Messages
15,162
Location
Ne
Name
Jimmy L
I got the same speel from yellowpages.com
The guy "understood" me and was my "Friend".

After a call to a guy I respect from this board I found out that the sales rep was lying.
 

adamh

Supportive Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2006
Messages
1,533
Location
Nampa Idaho
Name
Adam Hale
I know of a guy that dang near lost everything in the YP. I have only done little ads in the past and have done zero YP for years. The only people that called were price shoppers.
 

Shorty

RIP
Joined
Nov 8, 2006
Messages
5,111
Location
Cairns
Name
Shorty Glanville
Mellow Wages

They must train them the same the world over.

I get very similar stories from my Smello Yello each and every year.

How many times I have been told I won't be around next year, yet I have hardly seen the same rep; two years in a row ;-)

Work your data base and regular contact keeps you up there.

Doing good work also assures repeat as well as new business.

After putting the wrong number in the current yp, next years free ad will be the last time for me in Smello Yello.

Cheers,

Shorty.
 

SunClean

Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
38
Wow same for us. Paid $2000 for our ad last year and got $200 from it. We dropped it. We're putting our money in our website and some bold graphics on the van. :D
 

Bob Savage

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Joined
Oct 7, 2006
Messages
1,286
Location
Dayton, Ohio
Name
Bob Savage
I agree with you Bob. We have also had a display ad in the SBC (Ameritech) YP books every year for over 20 years. This year we opted out as their cost to advertisers for these ads is borderline criminal, and we are tired of paying such outrageous prices especially when there is now a good alternative.

Instead, we placed the same size display ad in the up-and-coming Yellow Book we have in our area (which has been growing in popularity for the past few years).

The cost in this YB (Yellow Book) was about 1/4th that of the original YP book, and this YB covers the same area, comes out 2 months earlier so it gets placed in the public's hands as being the "latest" information first, and seems to be working well for the advertisers I've talked with.

Time will tell.
 

Fon Johnson

Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2006
Messages
1,066
Tread with caution, Bob. Most of my clients here that I polled regarding yp books told me they called us from the Bellsouth book. Most of them told us that they throw away the Yellowbook as soon as they get it..
 

Mark

Member
Joined
Feb 6, 2007
Messages
39
Same Situation we cut everything down to just bold text in a box 90% of my YP calls we price shoppers anyways. Working on the web site now.
 

Jonee

Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2007
Messages
39
The yellow page reps have put more newbies out of business then any other expense out there.
 

XTREME1

RIP
Joined
Nov 13, 2006
Messages
9,681
Location
Ma
Name
Greg Crowley
I have a Yellow Book ad for $240 a month and a Verizon yellow page ad for $205, I have gotten more calls from the yellow book. Both have only produced about $1000 in business for me and it costs me $5340 to make that $1000. They are calling to reup and I said no way. I could put $5000 into mailings and get a better return. I have a mail permit and I could probably mail close to 25000-30,000 postcards with that cash. I got sucked in and I am counting the days til the contracts are up.
 
Joined
Oct 7, 2006
Messages
18,834
Location
Benton KY USA
Name
Lee Stockwell
RE: Need some quick help, Thanx!: Lee Stockwell: 7/23/1999 8:27:41 AM

OR...Determine your yearly YP budget, say, $3000. Then buy 2800 business card, a stapler, and some staples. Go to the bank and get $2800 in one dollar bills, (fifty six bundles of 50each). Stand on the busiest business location in your market and staple a business card to a dollar bill and give it away. You will get a lot of interest, maybe even free TV exposure. It won't be as wasteful as the YP ad would have been and you will get more satisfaction in giving your money away with at least a card in their hand.

You should have a few dollars left over after the above instructions are carried out. Take your wife out to a nice restaurant and discuss strategy for NEXT years YP money.

Thanks,
:Lee
 

Bob Savage

Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2006
Messages
1,286
Location
Dayton, Ohio
Name
Bob Savage
I know what you mean Fon. The ad is only costing us $250 a month, and I'll be surprised if we don't receive 4-5 times that in new customers from the new YB ad each month.

The YB even uses the old yellow walking fingers as their logo like Bell used to, and the YB is as large (book thickness), and covers 750,000 population area.

I think the fact the YB comes out first is an advantage.

I'll bet the YB is still making a good profits at their reasonable rates, but I'll have to wait and see.

I've added a Web page for people to visit from the YB ad, so we can track it from that, plus we'll ask them when they call and we see they are a new customer.

We always ask new customers how they decided to give us a call so we know what is working the BEST.

Hope you and Pamela are doing well.
 

Rob Lyon

Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
657
Location
Northeast Pa
Name
Rob Lyon
We broke even in our ads. Yellow book USA is still a
dominant factor here, especially getting established.
I will see how this year goes and I am sure I will be
downsizing my ads.



All The Best, Rob
 

Bob Foster

Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2006
Messages
8,870
A full page ad in the YP in my market is $2200 a month. A full page ad in the imitator YP book is $660 for the same size of book with the same reach.
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Last year due to the timing of opening my business I only had the opportunity to put an ad in the imitator book that covers the exact same market. I thought I would give the imitator book my very best shot and booked a full page color professionally produced advertisement in it. Plus I got a half page ad on the cross reference divider – the only tab in the whole book.
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These ads in the imitator book got me about 2 calls a week max. I answer the calls myself and I think I am damn good on the phone – not pushy and I am polite. My phone calls go directly to my cell and not to my voice mail.

This is my column listing box ad in this years “realâ€Â
 

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charles

Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2006
Messages
99
I dropped my YP ad last week, It was going up $100 a month for the exact same ad as I ran in 2006. I'm done with them.
 
Joined
Nov 6, 2006
Messages
270
Location
Charleston, SC
Name
Al
After working my way up to $70,000 ( yes 70)a year in YP adds they,Pissed me off. Called on a Wed. and said my new add copy would have to be in by Fri. or keep the same add, they forgot me. So called their super he said the same thing. I told them to forget it. They told me that I would be out of business in 6 months, "no body would know how to find me". Well 5 years later I think I am still here. Did I miss a lot, sure did. Price shoppers at 2:00am "How much does a flood cost"? And so on and so on. Bottom line is still growing. Small column at for me. :twisted:
 

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