Yellowpages.com rep is pressuring me

[Carpet Cleaning Fool]

To buy an expensive online ad in their directory.

A decent position in the Albuquerque area would run about $300 month w / 12 month commitment.

He said there are about 100 to 150 searches per month in the rug cleaning category.

I'm worried it might not be a good return on investment and I would be stuck with it for 12 months. Personally hate 12 month commitments!

Anyone have good results using yellowpages.com?

 

[Royal Man]

You can make your own web ad for less than 20 bucks per
month. Should run about 100 bucks per year.

RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Carpet Cleaning Fool]

Thanks for the quick reply Dave!

The rep is scheduled to call back in 20 minutes. I am going with your advice to RUN! Those 12 month commitments are brutal. If it doesn't work out you are forced to flush hard earned cash down the drain month after month.

Much appreciated.

 

[jwfoulk]

I have a quick question for you guys. I have a meeting with my yellow page rep on monday and here is what he is trying to get me to buy. Its a small ad under 2 headings plus a listing on yellowbook.com. Plus they will include a 1800 number that will go directly to my Buisness line so that I can track how many calls I am getting from their ad. This is all going to cost me just over $100 a month. What do you think?

 

[Carpet Cleaning Fool]

Hi Justin,

I've always had a very crude approach toward advertising which is, "If the ad doesn't earn me a single dollar will I still be able to afford it".

I never count on revenue "supposedly" generated from an ad as a source of income to pay for the ad.

See if they will let you sign up on a trial basis instead of a 12 month commitment. Why wouldn't they? its online so they can easily pull the ad with a few mouse clicks. Besides, if their online advertising is so wonderfull why would anyone cancel?

 

[Chris A]

Listen to George, I'm getting ready to get brutal on my YP Rep. I plan on cutting my $500/month budget in half, or switching it all to internet.

 

[Ken Snow]

they will deal on the 12 month commitment.

 

[Art Kelley]

The only thing I have left with ATT is a line in the Yellow Pages and an annual White pages bill so my cell number is listed as my business number. You certainly don't need those fast talking leeches to host your web site. There are other much better and far less expensive alternatives than those bastards. They will rot in hell. Their time has come and gone.

 

[Shorty]

If the blood sucking yp reps are anything like their counterparts down under, don't give in to them.

I have nearly eradicated my yp ads due to their stand over tactics.

My future ads will have my biz name, contact number and in larger print, my web site details.

I have been testing the waters with an ad like this & getting better than average results which have turned into more sales and less tire kickers chasing a cheap price.

Ooroo,

:roll:

 

[Chris A]

they will deal on the 12 month commitment.

For YOU maybe! One truck schmucks, not so sure.

 

[Royal Man]

The trouble whiteyellowpages.com or any other directory is that you are paying to appear on a list with all your competition.

This really dilutes you marketing dollar.

On the web you can have your own listing for 1 10th the price and you are likely to also have much better placement.

(They are on page 4 in my area and I have the top 2 spots on google and I only pay 14 bucks a month)


Frankly I don't know how the directories stay in business nowadays.

There are much more effective, less expencive and competition-free ways to market.

 

[jwfoulk]

Thanks for all the replies. The hundred bucks is for a small inch and a half block ad in their directory plus an ad in their online directory. I was going to cut it back to just a listing but my rep then offered to give me the 1800 # so that i could actually see how many calls were generated by that ad. The number would be exclusive to that directory so I can get an accurate picture of the amount of calls coming in.

 

[Newman]

Play hardball. They will deal with you or you walk. My Biz partner has a part time pressure washing biz and has had the YP ad since 1998. They cut the price in half for him. This is how the conversation went:

Pesky DEX YP salesgirl wrote:

I have been trying to give you calls from 5-6pm but I haven't had any luck catching up with you yet! Will you have any time tomorrow or Thursday night from 5-6pm? I will be staying later both of those nights to accommodate some other clients schedules. Let me know if that will work for you.
Best regards,

I wrote My biz partner:

I have noticed the YP salespeople are getting more aggressive. Just because you have done it forever, is it right? Your biz is where you want it, yes? The YP ad will bring in a few new clients to balance the ones who move, ect.. You have a seasonal biz, try negotiating a 6 month ad? They are getting desperate for ads, play hardball and get them to come down on price. IMHO

My Biz partner wrote the pesky DEX salesgirl:

Hi Tina,
Here's my feelings. I'm leaning towards pulling my ad altogether. I'm a 6 month business paying for 12 months of advertising, which even in the 6 months I'm actually working, results have been dismal. I would like to keep my same ad in for next year, but I'm only interested in paying 1/2 of what I'm paying now. I have been a customer of yours since 1998, and I think it's time for a price break. If you can do this, great! If not, please pull my ad for next year. Thanks,

The pesky salesgirl replied:

Hi there,
If you want to just have your single line listing with name, phone #, and address the cost of that is $10 a heading in the Barrington directory. You currently are under 3 headings, so if you want to keep all of those it would be a monthly investment of $30. We can put your website for free underneath your number if you want.
If you want to upgrade any have an ad that tells something about you a 1" color ad for Barrington is $18.50. I would suggest this because people are used to seeing it and you can tell more about your services. But, let me know your thoughts. I will be in the office tonight until 5:30 Thanks again

 

[Guest]

You'd do better with a Yahoo webpage you can do your self as stated earlier; or Google offers pretty much the same thing accept a few bucks more. Good Luck. BTW my website runs $167.40 per year; I get a lot of visits.

 

[Brian R]

Yellowpages.com or ATT (same thing) are big enough to bring people to the site. Yes you are with your competition so you better be better.

As I have said, it's usually the ad NOT the advertiser...usually.

I've made tons from yellowpages.com

Advice; If you're going to run an ad with them...you had better make it a big ad.
Little ads are a waste of money but big ads make you step up to the plate.

If you run the big ad, you need to answer your phones, have great customer service, know how to sell and not be afraid of the "big" ad.

The problem is that when someone spends money with an advertiser, they may think the advertiser is going to "make" them money.

All they do is get more people to see you...that's it...
It's up to you to make the ad work.

 

[frankiechocolate]

pardon my french but screw him.

no, that was wrong.

double screw him.

You work hard for your money.

why throw it away.


when the yellow page books come to my door I walk them over to the recycling bin and dont even take them out of the plastic rain bag.


Yellow pages is a dinosaur.


who uses it?


I spend big money and didn't get it back years ago with my yp ad


Now I am looking at pay per click


we got my son a site out in tempe az.

his first call was for a plumber!

they adjusted the stuff and he's gotten a few calls but no sales yet


the co. I am going with, ( my son and I for his site in tempe, I'm in chicago.) wants a minimum of $700.00 per month for 3 months.


I agreed and told em straight up. If you don't make my son $ in those three months I never want to hear from you again. don't ever call me for any reason ever.

we'll see what happens.

my advice

screw the y.p. on line, in book, every where


go get a web site, learn the magic words

then go on the circuit and sell all the rest of us schlubs your wonderful marketing secrets


visit my blog, "the carpet cleaner's crocodile"

frankie chocolate

 

[Royal Man]

The 700 bucks per month is for what?

If it is for a online webpage you are paying over 40 times too much.

700 bucks should give you over 3 years of jobs online.


"Note: This post is not meant to be an advertisement."

 

[Brian R]

The money paid to online advertising is so they can do the work for you....so they should.

Phone books are close to worthless.
Online has been working for me through yellowpages.com but I am going to start working on a separate website and see what I can do myself.
Up until a year or so ago, I wouldn't have the time or the knowledge to do everything myself. Now I can do a bit more.

If I can lower my overhead AND keep the same money coming in that's fine with me.

But, I've been with yellowpages.com for about 4 years and at one point that's where I was making all my "new" money.

 

[Mikey P]

Yelp would get you far more searches for the same money.

 

[Brian R]

I'm on Yelp as well.

 

[Magic Al]

DON'T get sucked up in that "special" 1-800 number crap.

Let's say you do that for say a year or two. Now, you decide it is or isn't worth it.

Those dinosaurs who still use the YP pick up the old book, call that number and find out it is disconnected!!! Wow, isn't that swell?!?!?

And, BTW, NYC YP just filed for bankruptcy. Seems more people ARE using the internet these days.

Have a pro develop your site. It will work better for 1,000 good reasons and not have you waste you valuable time doing something that you will only do once. Isn't that what you tell your customers? They can rent a porty and do it themselves, but you convince them that you are a professional and can do a better job for the money. Same analogy.