WhenI first started in business I ran a YP ad and gradually got to a 1/8 page size. Then yellow fever got to Minneapolis. Started seeing giant ads for crappy companies. Downsized to now wher all I have is the free one liner. Still get a call or two and generally get those jobs. Pretty good cost ratio
My YP salesman for the growing and shrinking years was GREAT! He wasn't too high pressure. He also understood where I was going with my business. He taught me a very good advertising lesson one year. He asked for one of my business cards. Just before we got together I had a new logo designed by a commercial artist and she did a work up for the card. When I showed the salesman the card he asked, "Where's your phone number?" I pointed to the number, he asked again, I pointed, then he asked a third time. I got what he was saying, the type size was too small to see. He chuckled and told me that if I wanted people to call, not to make it so hard to see my number. Now that I'm wearing my drugstore cheater glasses, its more evident what his point was.
The most effective YP ads that I've found are the local city directories. I can focus my drive time and most people like to spend their money in their own community. The company has discount programs, more books, cheaper price. Money is due just before publication and they offer a discount if the whole bill is paid up front instead of monthly.
A couple of times I got sucked into doing the flyer in a plastic bag gig. All I did was pay for the ad. Ouch! The next time I got a call from one of those companies I decided I play with the salesperson. During our talk I matched enthusiasm with how the advertising would work. I told him that I was really excited and interested. Thought that it was a good way to get right in front of someone's face. When I asked him if he had found from other advertisers that his bags were successful. Of course! Then I sprung the trap. I told him that money was a little tight and I couldn't afford to pay for all of the ad up front. Since he was confident that the ads would work I told him that I would pay him for the ad out of the first checks that I got from doing the jobs. He choked! Said that my method wasn't the way it worked. I told him that since I was gambling 100% on him, if his ads were so successful, he shouldn't have a problem taking a gamble with me. He said that he couldn't do that because he didn't know me. I told him to check my referances and that I had been in town for many years. How long had his company been doing business? It was really fun pulling his chain! When I hung up a started laughing pretty loud
No...I didn't advertise with the baggie man.
Tom
