yellow pages ad

[toab]

I recently inquired about a yellow pages ad and they want to group my little ad in with the glass replacement crowd because there is no heading/subsection for windshield repair in our yellow pages.I know that at least 1 of you techs is under the GLASS-WINDSHIELD REPAIR heading .How did you get this heading or was it already there for you? I asked to see if they could make a new heading but they wern 't interested.

[scratchy]

I keep an ad under each heading because it is available. If WSR is not an available heading don't worry about it. The customers are already predisposed to looking under glass for a glass related need.

[Scott Tyner]

From my own experience, I have had a far greater response from the "GLASS" heading compared to the "WINDSHIELD REPAIR" heading.

Yes, by being under the "GLASS" heading you will get a great deal of calls for replacements, unless you go with a display ad that states "REPAIR ONLY." But, even then you will still get calls for replacements, which isn't a bad thing....especially if you do what I and I'm sure others have done....and that's set up some sort of arrangement with a replacement company where you either get a referral fee or an agreement with them that you'll recommend their company for replacements and they'll recommend your company for repairs.

I personally prefer the "referral fee" agreement. I have tried the other and didn't have much success with it. I've talked with a great deal of other techs who've said the same thing.

When using the referral fee agreement, try and find a local company to work with instead of one of the nationwide companies.

Don't give up on this idea if you don't have success at first due to an unethical company. Keep trying and you'll find an honest company out there.

Good Luck,

Scott

[REDGMC]

I know this is a little off topic, but I was just wondering if yellow page ads pay-off I have a meeting Monday with the yellow page Rep. I'm just a little hesitant because of the cost. Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks in Advance!

[Bois]

Yellow page advertising, to me, depends on where you're located. When I lived in the Dallas metroplex I used the yellow pages for almost everything I needed. I even use it to locate windshield repair techs before I got into the business myself. Now I live in the country where word of mouth, etc. is probably better. But how do you "buy" word of mouth? Somehow you got to get customers. I recently put a small ad in our local telephone company's yellow pages and I've started to get calls. Unfortunately, they're for replacement - even though my ad says repair. I also live in an area served by 3 yellow page publishers; local teco (Sprint), South Central Bell and a private company which covers local counties. I need to have ads in all to cover my market area. I try to pay monthly rather than dish out an annual subscription for each. By the way, all three publications come out at different times during the year so I can revise my ads as necessary.

Advertising in local newspapers doesn't work. They're mostly weekly and unless you advertise continually they don't work.

Dale...

[scratchy]

To know if a yellow page ad will work you have to know your service area. How big is the population? How frequent is the stone damage? Who is your competition and how are they finding their work?
Some yellow page ads give 1/2 price for the first year so you can see if it lands you work.
FWIW... I spent a part of a week north of Dallas paying attention to how the market differs from my current location. That region is sooo vast that you would have to specialize in one county and place an ad accordingly.