Yellow Pages - Different Phone Number?

[layoric]

Going in the local yellow pages. Paid for the whole year, one of those ads a little bigger than a business card. In color, and using one of their phone numbers that tracts how many calls come in, then forwards the call to my business line.

Since this is my first time with this ad in any book, I was interested in truly knowing if the calls were from my new ad or from existing customers. BUT, frankly, I track things myself for how they got the number/contact info.

My concern is that if I use their virtual forwarding number, and I don't end up buying that number after the 1st year, people that write down my number from there will not be able to contact me after the first year. Of course, the way around that would be to give everyone a business card with my true phone number on it and stress to call me using that number in the future. Also, what about those who call the old number from working off an old yellow pages book? They'd call and get an out of service message, and think oh, another business gone under, oh well. I'll try someone else...

The way that the advertising rep explained it of course, is that it'll illustrate how much business you're getting as a result of their services - although I can't help but think more about it now. It seems that this will be more of a help to them than it will be to me.

Have any of you utilized a virtual number through this type of advertising? Do you think it benefited your business or was a detriment?

[sedigital]

I wouldn't do it, and I would definitely make sure my number is on all invoices/busines cards/stickers, etc. What's to say that if you stop subscribing they offer the number to your competitor with guaranteed results?

[vdub12]

Just out of curiosity if you don't mind what did you pay for your ad.

[layoric]

Originally Posted by vdub12

Just out of curiosity if you don't mind what did you pay for your ad.

Just under $1,500. Quite pricey, I think, but I wanted to go with a larger ad and get results.

[layoric]

Originally Posted by sedigital

I wouldn't do it, and I would definitely make sure my number is on all invoices/busines cards/stickers, etc. What's to say that if you stop subscribing they offer the number to your competitor with guaranteed results?

Aha! I knew there were issues I didn't think of - such as that!
Thanks -

[layoric]

The other issue I thought of was website spidering and propagation of similar things. Let's say that the number they provide gets to tons of websites. Later, I don't have that phone number through them. Phone calls to that number go unanswered, or to another business (as was mentioned in a prior post, possibly even a competitor!).

The other possibility is that it's a marketing ploy to get me to purchase that number so I won't have such issues.

[Mushin]

I personally would not worry about the number being given to a competitor or that people will write down that number and not be able to call you months later after you no longer are in the book.

First...

If you get a single customer from the ad and make $125 from that customer you have broken even for one month.... so... you only need to get 12 customers from the book to make it work.

Second.

People are not in the practice of writing down the number from the book.. So after you provide them service... you will give them your business card and workorder paperwork which will have your number on it. This is most likely where they will go to call you later on.

Keep in mind that all the Yellow pages can do is give you the opportunity to talk to the potential customer... You will have to "sell" them on your service with the way you handle the phone call. So.... if you are getting phone calls but not converting remember that the ad is still working... It is something else that is broken.

[layoric]

Originally Posted by Mushin

Keep in mind that all the Yellow pages can do is give you the opportunity to talk to the potential customer... You will have to "sell" them on your service with the way you handle the phone call. So.... if you are getting phone calls but not converting remember that the ad is still working... It is something else that is broken.

Thanks for the info, puts me a little more at ease. I still have plenty of time before the ad goes live to change my mind though. As far as the above snippet, it's funny because that's almost exactly what the ad rep stated!

I've been fortunate in that most calls I receive are translated into a customer/work. So far those who have not been, were either looking for the cheapest or just looking for free advice - neither of which I will provide.

[sedigital]

Originally Posted by Mushin

People are not in the practice of writing down the number from the book.. So after you provide them service... you will give them your business card and workorder paperwork which will have your number on it. This is most likely where they will go to call you later on.

I disagree with this a little bit. If I look at my own life, I find that I very seldom go to anything printed to find a phone number. I usually go to google, type in the business name, and start calling whatever numbers pop up until I get the correct business, lol.