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View Full Version : full page ads in the phone book



huggytree
07-19-2010, 09:51 PM
i talked to my electrician friend last week about his full page/color ads in the phone book...for me it would be absolutely worthless since there are 8 plumbers w/ full page ads. For electricians he's the only one.

he pays $2k a month for 1 book....they wanted $5k a month, but because he keeps track of the calls he can bargain them down to $2k

i thought he'd get 500 calls a month....guess what? 25.......thats it......10 turn into customers...$200 per actual customer he pays...

he's big on the upsell, so he has to try to get alot out of each one..

the phone book is completely worthless....even more so than i thought.

Patrysha
07-19-2010, 11:31 PM
But how long does a customer stick around after the first contact? It's not always about the initial cost. But I tend to agree that the phone book is an increasingly poor choice for most small businesses.

Steve B
07-20-2010, 06:35 AM
Did you seriously think he'd get 500 calls? If it were that easy, we'd all be rich.

I'm surprised he gets 25. I'm really impressed that he converts 10 of them to a sale.

I doubt the yellow pages will be around in 5 years, but until they go away completely I'm guessing plumbers and lawyers will still do pretty well in them. If your friend is so good at measuring things - he must believe it's worth more than $200 for a customer. He's probably smart enough to consider future sales from each customer plus the referals he will get from them.

KristineS
07-20-2010, 05:19 PM
Pretty much the only businesses that I think the yellow pages still makes sense for are local businesses, home repairs, doctors, dentists, things for which people really can't go national. I suppose restaurants too. A lot of phone books have added a menu section. Of course, I'll still go online and look at a restaurants web site to see their menu before I'll look in the phone book.

huggytree
07-20-2010, 08:48 PM
being the only full page ad. i think 25 calls a month is pitiful.....500 calls a month is only 16 calls a day....wouldnt a hundred or 2 people in the area need an electrician any given day?....so is 16 calls for the largest and first ad. in the book alot?

ive maybe had 10 phone book calls on a good month with my old ads...thats with a 1/8 page ad...B & W

his advertising is spectacular... he knows what he's doing

he also works for Home Depot installing ceiling fans...he does it at a loss to get in the house..his business is all about 'extra's....he searches every house.

i dont believe in doing anything at a loss on purpose.....so id have a problem with all of it...

ive considered trying a full page ad in 1 book someday...now i dont.

the local mini phone book girl showed up at my house today....im going w/ a 1/2 page ad there....last year i did very well from it...this year my ad. is the same size as everyone elses and im last...its doing poorly....1 more try to see if large and being 1st works better