Is it worth the money?
- Thread starter BruceH
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Re: Is it worth the money?
18 years ago a very good friend of mine bought a bankrupt company for $125K. Today they are in 27 countries and he is a multi millionaire.
He bought a medical firm even though he is not a physician but he has 9 physicians working for him.
He grew this business through advertising and producing a quality product. Large ads and small ads get NAME recognition. Marketing gets the customers.
You can't place a large ad in the yellow pages and sit back and wait for the phone to ring, you also have to market yourself.
My good friend is a marketing major, the business he bought is a sperm bank. The company is now world wide. Think "how did he acomplish that"?
It is all in marketing.
18 years ago a very good friend of mine bought a bankrupt company for $125K. Today they are in 27 countries and he is a multi millionaire.
He bought a medical firm even though he is not a physician but he has 9 physicians working for him.
He grew this business through advertising and producing a quality product. Large ads and small ads get NAME recognition. Marketing gets the customers.
You can't place a large ad in the yellow pages and sit back and wait for the phone to ring, you also have to market yourself.
My good friend is a marketing major, the business he bought is a sperm bank. The company is now world wide. Think "how did he acomplish that"?
It is all in marketing.
bradleyelectric
Senior Member
- Location
- forest hill, md
Re: Is it worth the money?
[/QUOTE]WHAT??? [/QB][/QUOTE]
more specifically. We ran an ad in business to business yellow pages. Movie theater near us needed somebody in an emergency type situation. We responded within about an hour. We have done far more work for them this year than the ad cost us. We are good at commercial service work, so we market to it.
[/QUOTE]WHAT??? [/QB][/QUOTE]
more specifically. We ran an ad in business to business yellow pages. Movie theater near us needed somebody in an emergency type situation. We responded within about an hour. We have done far more work for them this year than the ad cost us. We are good at commercial service work, so we market to it.
hbiss
EC, Westchester, New York NEC: 2014
- Location
- Hawthorne, New York NEC: 2014
- Occupation
- EC
Re: Is it worth the money?
You can't place a large ad in the yellow pages and sit back and wait for the phone to ring...
Then we do agree. It would be nice if we all had the knowledge and resources of your friend, but I doubt there is even one marketing major among us. Most of us are to busy doing electrical work to spend much time on promoting our businesses even if we knew what to do. That's a full time business of its own.
-Hal
You can't place a large ad in the yellow pages and sit back and wait for the phone to ring...
Then we do agree. It would be nice if we all had the knowledge and resources of your friend, but I doubt there is even one marketing major among us. Most of us are to busy doing electrical work to spend much time on promoting our businesses even if we knew what to do. That's a full time business of its own.
-Hal
Re: Is it worth the money?
WillyJ,
No one said we were not marketing outside of the YP.
And yes, the ad is meant to do some of the Marketing for you. It's it a form of "advertising"? We ask our customers how they found out about our company when they call for service. The choices include YP, word of mouth (refered by friend), saw a sign on another jobsite, etc.
The YP ad ranks at the bottom of both referals and generated income while at the top for cost. Word of Mouth leads them all and generates the most income and is the least expensive.
PS. Never put "free estimates" in your ad. Although it does get you in "the door", 70% of the time they will cost YOU money.
WillyJ,
No one said we were not marketing outside of the YP.
And yes, the ad is meant to do some of the Marketing for you. It's it a form of "advertising"? We ask our customers how they found out about our company when they call for service. The choices include YP, word of mouth (refered by friend), saw a sign on another jobsite, etc.
The YP ad ranks at the bottom of both referals and generated income while at the top for cost. Word of Mouth leads them all and generates the most income and is the least expensive.
PS. Never put "free estimates" in your ad. Although it does get you in "the door", 70% of the time they will cost YOU money.
Re: Is it worth the money?
I called the yellow book today, got a business number for 20 a month, and my name and number in the white and yellow pages, will look into ads there later. Spoke to a rep and he said they will pay for themselves.
That's kinda like the quote whether you think you can do a thing or not, you are right.
I called the yellow book today, got a business number for 20 a month, and my name and number in the white and yellow pages, will look into ads there later. Spoke to a rep and he said they will pay for themselves.
Re: Is it worth the money?
All of the ads and business cards or post cards will work if you put the time in to make them work.
That is the difference between being an EC and being a businessman. With knowledge you can successfully merge the two.
My point exactly. Hiring techs. to work in the field and getting yourself into the office and taking on that full time business of promoting can make the difference of doing $750K a year to doing over $4.5 mil. a year.
All of the ads and business cards or post cards will work if you put the time in to make them work.
That is the difference between being an EC and being a businessman. With knowledge you can successfully merge the two.
hbiss
EC, Westchester, New York NEC: 2014
- Location
- Hawthorne, New York NEC: 2014
- Occupation
- EC
Re: Is it worth the money?
Hiring techs. to work in the field and getting yourself into the office and taking on that full time business of promoting can make the difference of doing $750K a year to doing over $4.5 mil. a year.
Absolutely, but how many of us are able to acheive that dream? Most of us are good with electrical work but running and growing a business into an entity that has worth of its own is another story.
-Hal
Hiring techs. to work in the field and getting yourself into the office and taking on that full time business of promoting can make the difference of doing $750K a year to doing over $4.5 mil. a year.
Absolutely, but how many of us are able to acheive that dream? Most of us are good with electrical work but running and growing a business into an entity that has worth of its own is another story.
-Hal
Re: Is it worth the money?
As far as the yellow pages add, in 1996 I placed a yellow pages add and monitored it for about 3 years.
Maybe had 4 customers in that time from it. Most from word of mouth.
This last year I said forget it tired of paying the extra money and cancelled it.
Surprise \,I had to get a diferent number.
The problem is when I took the yel pages add they told me I could return to the number that I had if I didnt cancel in the middle of the year.
Did not hapen i had prev # for 15 years.
As far as the yellow pages add, in 1996 I placed a yellow pages add and monitored it for about 3 years.
Maybe had 4 customers in that time from it. Most from word of mouth.
This last year I said forget it tired of paying the extra money and cancelled it.
Surprise \,I had to get a diferent number.
The problem is when I took the yel pages add they told me I could return to the number that I had if I didnt cancel in the middle of the year.
Did not hapen i had prev # for 15 years.
hbiss
EC, Westchester, New York NEC: 2014
- Location
- Hawthorne, New York NEC: 2014
- Occupation
- EC
Re: Is it worth the money?
Don't think I am understanding what you are saying. Is it that when you took out the Yellow Pages ad you got a new number? Then, after 9 years you decide to discontinue the ad and you expected them to hold your old number so you can go back to it?
Why not just continue to use the number you had in the ad? That's the one people are going to be familiar with now.
-Hal
Don't think I am understanding what you are saying. Is it that when you took out the Yellow Pages ad you got a new number? Then, after 9 years you decide to discontinue the ad and you expected them to hold your old number so you can go back to it?
Why not just continue to use the number you had in the ad? That's the one people are going to be familiar with now.
-Hal
coppertreeelectric
Senior Member
Re: Is it worth the money?
People have tried to take out a yellow pages ad for the June book and after the book is printed decide to cancel the ad. When you take out an ad you pay monthly. Some people think they can just get away with paying for two months then try and cancel.
Now its too late and the book has been distributed. So.. the only way the phone company will stop charging you is if you change your phone number, this way nobody can find you in the book and call you at the number in your ad.
Hal, I think what he is saying is that when you cancel / stop paying for your yellow pages ad you have to change your number.
People have tried to take out a yellow pages ad for the June book and after the book is printed decide to cancel the ad. When you take out an ad you pay monthly. Some people think they can just get away with paying for two months then try and cancel.
Now its too late and the book has been distributed. So.. the only way the phone company will stop charging you is if you change your phone number, this way nobody can find you in the book and call you at the number in your ad.
coppertreeelectric
Senior Member
Re: Is it worth the money?
in addition, I would find it more expensive to cancel the listing then it would be to just finish the year. It would cost most companies more money to have the new number put on all of our paperwork, marketing materials and trucks. I decided that if we couldn't keep our current number if we moved, we wouldn't move. Our phone number is our bread and butter.
in addition, I would find it more expensive to cancel the listing then it would be to just finish the year. It would cost most companies more money to have the new number put on all of our paperwork, marketing materials and trucks. I decided that if we couldn't keep our current number if we moved, we wouldn't move. Our phone number is our bread and butter.
hbiss
EC, Westchester, New York NEC: 2014
- Location
- Hawthorne, New York NEC: 2014
- Occupation
- EC
Re: Is it worth the money?
Hal, I think what he is saying is that when you cancel / stop paying for your yellow pages ad you have to change your number.
Used to be that way many years ago. If you wanted out of your contract part way through they would let you off if you disconnected the number. Not any more, they want their money.
It doesn't sound like that's what he is saying anyway. Sounds like he just didn't want to renew and there is a number in the ad that they won't let him use any longer. Never heard of that.
How about it Kitsr, what's the story?
-Hal
Hal, I think what he is saying is that when you cancel / stop paying for your yellow pages ad you have to change your number.
Used to be that way many years ago. If you wanted out of your contract part way through they would let you off if you disconnected the number. Not any more, they want their money.
It doesn't sound like that's what he is saying anyway. Sounds like he just didn't want to renew and there is a number in the ad that they won't let him use any longer. Never heard of that.
How about it Kitsr, what's the story?
-Hal
resistance
Senior Member
- Location
- WA
Re: Is it worth the money?
Good input will! Thanks!
Good input will! Thanks!
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