I had the Yellow Pages delivered to my front door about two weeks ago (unsolicited). It’s still there gathering dust and rain and basically has become unsightly. I have intentionally left it there as a reminder of why I dislike the Yellow Pages.

After reading the above I would like to mention a few things:
1-Yellow Pages is an archaic method or advertising. Very few ever get opened and anyone buying an ad in the yellow pages was sold a bill of useless goods by a skilled sales person.

2-The Yellow Pages is a thick reminder of how we are consuming our natural resources at an alarming pace. In a world that screams “green” it is beyond my comprehension, given the digital age, why we still print these big fat ugly books.

In summary, the Yellow Page era has come and gone like the rotary phone. I would suggest that Gerry, which is short for geriatric, get a digital life!

Gerry, I just skimmed through your “declaration of independence” and I’m astonishing that you have responded this way. In fact, I counted the words… 3,595! That might be a blog response record!

Contrary to what you think, I based this blog entry on publicly available facts and personal feedback from hundreds of healthcare practice owners all over the nation who are tired of wasting money on Yellow Pages advertising. I’m not inventing facts and I’m not guessing. I believe in spending advertising dollars in a way that creates the best return on investment. It’s not my fault that Yellow Pages advertising is not on the top of the list in many cases.

Your words speak volumes about the kind of person you are and the kind of business ethics you follow. Personally, I think you are nuts and so will anyone else who reads your insane response.

Let me be direct: Advertising in the Yellow Pages is the most worthless advertising investment a healthcare practice could ever make.
I KNOW PEOPLE THAT WILL SAY THE WORST THING THEY EVER DID WAS GO TO SOME DOCTOR THAT DID MORE HARM THAN GOOD. SO SHOULD WE USE THAT AS A BASIS TO SAY GOING TO A HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IS THE WORST THING YOU COULD EVER DO AND COULD BE LIFE THREATENING?
WOW, I FIND IT TOTALLY UNBELIEVABLE THAT ANYONE THAT CALLS THEMSELVES A PROFESSIONAL MARKETING EXPERT TO MAKE SUCH A BLATANT AND IRRESPONSIBLE STATEMENT.
HOW MANY CLIENTS DO YOU STILL HAVE AFTER THEY LISTEN TO YOU?
It is unbelievable to me how much practice owners still spend on an advertising message that they can only change once a year that is intentionally bunched in with all of their competitors. This is mind-boggling to me!

I CAN WELL IMAGINE HOW THIS IS MIND BOGGLING TO YOU BASED ON WHAT LITTLE YOU HAVE SAID…..SO FAR. YOU EVER HEAR OF FREE ENTERPRISE AND THE BENEFITS OF A COMPETITIVE MARKET PLACE? I GUESS YOU ARE A BIG SUPPORTER OF SOCIALIZED MEDICINE FOR YOUR CLIENTS AS WELL. IT FIGURES, GOES WELL WITH BEING A TREE HUGGER.
Here are just a few of the hard facts:
BASED ON YOUR MISINFORMATION, SO FAR, I SERIOUSLY DOUBT ANYTHING YOU HAVE TO SAY FROM THIS POINT FORWARD IS BASED ON ANY HARD FACTS!
* You can only change your advertising message on a yearly basis with Yellow Pages.
WOW WHAT A REVELATION. FORGET THE FACT OF HAVING A MEDIUM THAT WORKS FOR MILLIONS OF SMALL BUSINESSES AND CONSUMERS 24-7-365. AND ADVERTISERS CAN PAY FOR IT ON A MONTHLY BUDGET PLAN. IF YOU THINK THE ANNUAL PUBLISHING FREQUENCY IS SO BAD, WHY NOT APPLY YOUR ENTREPRENEURIAL PROWESS ALONG WITH SOME OF YOUR MANY VENTURE CAPITAL CONTACTS TO PUBLISH IT ONCE A MONTH OR SO AND SEE HOW THAT WORKS OUT FOR YOU.
* Yellow Pages advertising is losing more and more advertisers every year.
YES, YOU ARE CORRECT, THE YELLOW PAGES IS LOSING MORE AND MORE ADVERTISERS EVERY YEAR. BUT YOU FAIL TO REALIZE THAT MANY BUSINESSES THAT ONCE LISTENED TO GUYS LIKE YOU, THEY ARE RETURNING TO THE YELLOW PAGES MEDIUM BECAUSE IN MANY MARKETS, IT STILL WORKS AND DRIVES CUSTOMERS TO THEM AND MAKES THEIR PHONES’ RING MORE WITH IT THAN IT DID WITHOUT IT. OF COURSE MANY OF THOSE THAT MADE THE DIRE MISTAKE OF LISTENING TO THE LIIKES OF YOU, ARE NO LONGER IN BUSINESS.

* The number of consumers using the yellow pages is down nearly 75% in the past ten years.
THAT’S A RATHER AMBITIOUS AND UNFOUNDED FIGURE TO USE. SO WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR CONVENIENT SO CALLED FACT OF 75% ? WHAT EXPENSIVE SURVEY DID YOU READ OR COMMISSION TO ASCERTAIN SUCH INFORMATION AND FIGURES? DOES THIS FACT REPRESENT ALL MARKETS AND ALL YELLOW PAGES DIRECTORIES? YOU MEAN MARKETS LIKE NEW YOUR CITY; LUBBOCK, TX; SPRINGFIELD,
MA; SAVANNAH, GA; LAKE CHARLES, LA; COLORADO SPRINGS,CO; FRESNO, CA; ST GEORGE, UTAH; BRAINERD, MN; JACKSON, TN ?????? HOW DO YOU KNOW SO MUCH?
* Although consumer use has dropped dramatically, studies show that Yellow Pages advertising rates have increased every year in the past ten years.
WOW AGAIN. THAT’S A RATHER BLATANT STATEMENT OF WHICH YOU OBVIOUSLY KNOW NOT TO BE TRUE ALTHOUGH YOU SPEW IT AS IF IT WERE THE GOSPEL. WHAT STUDIES? YOU EVER HEAR OF INDEPENDENT YELLOW PAGES PUBLISHERS THAT HAVE CREATED A COMPETITIVE MARKET PLACE AND ACTUALLY FORCED THE GIANT TELCO YELLOW PAGES PUBLISHERS TO LOWER THEIR RATES IN ORDER FOR THEM TO COMPETE WITH INDEPENDENTS THAT USUALLY HAVE RATES 50% TO 60% LESS THAN THE TELCOS? OF COURSE, YOU BEING MARKETING PROFESSIONAL AND THE SELF APPOINTED YELLOW PAGES AUTHORITY, YOU WOULD CERTAINLY KNOW THE RATES PAID BY LOCAL BUSINESS OWNERS ARE MUCH LOWER THAN THOSE PAID BY LARGE NATIONAL ADVERTISERS AND PROFESSIONALS LIKE YOU THAT GO THROUGH A CMR……YOU DO KNOW WHAT A CMR IS….DON’T YOU?
* Yellow Pages are difficult to track and have limited analytics options.
YOU MIGHT BE RIGHT ABOUT THE DIFFICULTY TO TRACK (YOU DO MEAN TRACK USAGE?). AND BASED ON YOUR BIASED AND SELF SERVING OPINION AND “ANALYTIC OPTIONS”, THE YELLOW PAGES MEDIUM DOESN’T SEEM TO BE SO LIMITED, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU CAN JUST MAKE STUFF UP AND SPEW IT OUT AS BEING REASONABLE TO YOUR KUM- BA-YAH GROUPIES.. JOEL, YOU ARE A REAL PIECE OF WORK.
* Five National Yellow Pages companies filed for bankruptcy in the past 24 months due to poor sales.
NOT SURE YOU REALLY KNOW ANY MORE ABOUT THIS THAN I DO, EXCEPT OVER THE PAST 24 MONTHS, THOUSANDS OF BUSINESSES HAVE EITHER GONE UNDER OR FILED FOR BANKRUPTCY. CARE TO NAME THESE 5 COMPANIES? AND TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THEM AND THEIR DEMISE OR RESTRUCTURE? ARE ANY OF THEM STILL PUBLISHING YELLOW PAGES? HAVE ANY OF THEM ACQUIRED OR MERGED INTO OTHER PUBLISHERS? ARE YOU SAYING “POOR SALES” IS THE CAUSE DUE TO A LACK OF USE OF THE YELLOW PAGES OR COULD IT POSSIBLY BE THE ECONOMY THAT IS AFFECTING ALL OF US. NOT TO MENTION ALL THE “CHICKEN LITTLE” GUYS LIKE YOU OUT THERE SPEWING DOOM AND GLOOM TO PROMOTE YOURSELF AS THE SAVIOR? YEAH, I THINK YOU ARE JUST ANOTHER CHICKEN LITTLE STORY.

10 Reasons to Switch to Online Marketing Tactics
If you are advertising with the Yellow Pages you can save thousands of dollars by switching to effective online marketing tactics that will generate more new patients and clients. Here are ten major reasons why online marketing is more effective than yellow page advertising.

SO YOU ARE APPEALING ONLY TO THOSE THAT ARE CURRENTLY ADVERTISING IN THE YELLOW PAGES AND TELLING THEM EVEN THOUGH IT IS DIFFICULT TO TRACK THE USAGE AND NUMBER OF CALL GENERATED BY THEIR YELLOW PAGES ADS, THEY SHOULD JUST TAKE YOUR WORD FOR IT AND CANCEL THEIR YELLOW PAGES AND “GO ON LINE”? IS THIS CORRECT? YOU ARE REALLY ADVISING BUSINESS OWNERS AND PROFESSIONALS TO DO THIS BASED ON YOUR UNFOUNDED, SKEWED AND SPINNING OF YOUR UNFOUNDED OPINION? WOW, HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE TAKEN YOUR ADVICE AND STILL TALK TO YOU OR HAVE SUED YOU? WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND SAYING HERE IS REALLY DANGEROUS AND COULD BE LONG REACHING AND POSSIBLY CAUSE UNRECOVERABLE DAMAGES TO MANY PEOPLE, SUCH AS INNOCENT EMPLOYEES OF PEOPLE THAT ARE TAKEN IN BY YOU. YOU EVER STOP TO THINK JUST HOW DANGEROUS YOU ARE AND THE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR WORDS AND ADVISE IF WHAT YOU SAY IS NOT 100% TRUE AND ACCURATE?
Reason #1: You Save More Money

GOLLY….IF THEY STOPPED HAVING ELECTRICITY OR HAVING BUSINESS INSURACNE AND BOUGHT CANDLES AND WERE A LITTLE MORE SKILLED, THEY’D SAVE MONEY TOO. WHY NOT LAYOFF A FEW EMPLOYEES, ESPECIALLY SINCE THEY WILL BE “ON LINE” WHICH IS A MUCH MORE EFFICIENT WAY TO DO BUSINESS. I MEAN, AFTERALL, WHEN THEY WERE WASTING ALL THAT MONEY ON YELLOW PAGES THEY OBVIOUSLY HAD THEIR OFFICE AND BUSINESS STRUCTURED TO A MUCH HIGHER OVERHEAD.
With yellow page advertising, you pay a huge amount for what you actually get in return. For every inch of space in the yellow pages, there is a corresponding price. In New York, Manhattan, a full page ad costs $92,000 per year!

ONCE AGAIN, I AM ALMOST AT A LOSS FOR WORDS BASED ON THAT COMPOUND STATEMENT. IF FOR NO OTHER REASON, THIS ONE STATEMENT TELLS ME YOU DON’T KNOW JACK ABOUT THE YELLOW PAGES. YOU JUST HEARD OR READ SOMETHING AND NOW YOU ARE SPEWING PURE CRAP ABOUT IT. DEFINITELY, YOU ARE THE NEW ON-LINE CHICKEN LITTLE GURU. YELLOW PAGES, UNLIKE NEWSPAPERS, IS NOT SOLD BY THE INCH….YOU MUST BE CONFUSED WITH THE STANDARD OF PENIS MEASURING OR SOMETHING. AS FOR WHAT IT COSTS TO ADVERTISE IN MANHATTAN, I HAVE NO FACTUAL FIGURES, BUT I AM SURE I CAN COME CLOSER TO THE ACTUAL COSTS THAN YOU EVER WILL. DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY DIFFERENT YELLOW PAGES DIRECTORIES COVER MANHATTAN? DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE RATES ARE FOR A FULL PAGE IN EACH ONE OF THEM IS? NO? I DIDN’T THINK SO.
With a well managed online marketing program you can expect to pay a fraction of what Yellow Pages rates with much better results in most cases.

LET ME GUESS. YOU ARE THE ONE THAT CAN WELL MANAGE ONLINE MARKETING PROGRAMS. NOW IS THAT FOR ANY ONE THAT CURRENTLY OR RECENTLY ADVERTISED IN THE YELLOW PAGES? DOES THAT INCLUDE MAYBE A RATHER SUCCESSFUL MEDICAL CLINIC THAT BUYS ONLY HS IN COLUMN LISTINGS WHICH ARE PRICED RATHER LOW. CAN YOU TAKE THAT VERY LOW EXPENDITURE AND PRODUCE AND MANAGE AN ONLINE MARKETING PROGRAM FOR A FRACTION OF SUCH A MINIMAL EXPENDITURE? AND GET THEM BETTER RESULTS……..IN MOST CASES. (AHH, THERE’S THE FINE PRINT….. THE OL’ DISCLAIMER TO COVER YOUR ASS LEGALLY BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT ABSOLUTELY 100% SURE YOU CAN DO EVERYTHING YOU SAY NOR IS EVERYTHING YOU SPEW GUARANTEED TO BE 100% ACCURATE) WHAT A PHONY.
Reason #2: You Have More Space For Content
THIS JUST GETS DUMBER AND DUMBER. YOU ARE REALLY A DESPARATE SOUL AREN’T YOU JOEL?
Space has always been an important consideration when it comes to advertising. If you want your customers to know more about your business, limited space won’t work. In online marketing, you have all the space you need to advertise and promote what you have. In yellow page advertising, even the largest ads are result in a limited amount of space to work with.
SPACE IS SPACE AS SPACE IS SPACE. SORTA SPACE BALLS LIKE (A MEL BROOKS MOVIE). AS A GRAPHICS SPECIALIST THAT TOOK SO MUCH MONEY TO PRODUCE YELLOW PAGES ADS IN YOU PAST BEFORE YOU BECAME AN EXPERT, CAN YOU POST ANY OF YOUR BEST ADS THAT ANY OF YOUR CUSTOMERS REALLY LIKED OR WORKED WELL FOR THEM? WHEN I VISUALIZE WHAT YOUR ADS MUST HAVE LOOKED LIKE BASED ON YOU CURRENT OPINION AND NEED FOR SPACE, A BLEVIT COMES TO MIND. YOU KNOW WHAT A BLEBIT IS JOEL? IT’S THREE POUNDS OF CRAP IN A TWO POUND BAG. NO MATTER WHAT, THERE IS OVERFLOW BECAUSE YOU DON’T HAVE ENOUGH SPACE TO HOLD THREE POUNDS OF CRAP. (I SORTA CLEANED THAT UP A BIT) . OF COURSE BEING SO CONCERNED ABOUT THE HIGH PRICED ADS IN THE YELLOW PAGES AND THE CONFLICT POSED TO YOU AS A DESIGNER OVER LIMITED SPACE, HOW DID YOU RESOLVE YOUR CONSCIENCE ISSUES? DID YOU SELL OUT FOR MORE EXPENSIVE SPACE OR DID YOU CURB YOUR CREATIVE SIDE TO DEFER TO A SMALLER (BLEVIT SIZED) AD?
Reason #3: Online Marketing is Measurable
TOTALLY? I MEAN EVERYTIME? SO IS THAT IN NUMBER OF CALLS OR CONTACTS? THE NUMBER OF ACTUAL CUSTOMERS THAT CAME IN OR BOUGHT SOMETHING? DOES THAT ALL DEPEND ON GOOD AND PROPER FRONT OFFICE PHONE ANSWERING OR EMAIL RESPONDING AND FOLLOW UP? DOES THAT INCLUDE ON SATISFIED CUSTOMERS/CLIENTS/PATIENTS OR ALL GOOD AND BAD? ITS ALL RATHER OMNIOUS ISN’T MR MARKETING PROFESSIONAL.
Knowing what key words are most effective and what types of ads are more effective is an important advantage with internet marketing. GEE, I ALWAYS THOUGHT THE ADVERTISER’S MESSAGE CONTENT WAS IMPORTANT NO MATTER WHAT THE MEDIUM AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT, SPACE IS NOT A FACTOR IN SOME MEDIA. SO WHAT’S YOUR POINT HERE?
With Yellow Pages advertising you have no idea what prompted a prospect to take action. THAT’S PURE BULL CRAP. IF YOU ADVERTISER A SPECIAL PRICE ON A SPECIAL PRODUCT AND PEOPLE RESPOND TO BUY THAT PRODUCT OR SERVICE, YOU KNOW FULL WELL WHAT PROMPTED A PROSPECT TO TAKE ACTION. YOU ARE REALLY REACHING HERE JOEL. I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE THE REST BELOW.
Online marketing also allows you to analyze comprehensive statistics on who responds to your online content. Age, race, location, frequency, time of day and traffic source are just a few of the hundreds of parameters available to analyze. WHILE ON LINE OFFERS SOME INSIGHTFUL INFORMATION ABOUT WEBSITE HITS, THROUGH URL IDENTIFICATION AND COOKIES, ALL ADVERTISING REQUIRES SOME SORT OF PLANNING AND FOLLOW UP WITH ALL THOSE THAT RESPONS TO THE MEDIUM AND THE AD USED TO ATTRACT THEM. SO YOUR POINT IS WHAT?

Reason #4: Search Engines are Optimized for Local Search
As search algorithms have matured over the years, search engines have become smarter at understanding not only the “local intent” behind a search query, but also where the searcher is located, called “geotargeting.” For example, if you now search on Google for the term “dentist”, you’ll find dental practices close to where you live. This technology is especially useful on mobile devices, such as the iPhone and Blackberry. IF ALL YOU HAVE STATED HERE IS TRUE, HAD YOU USED THE WORDS “YOUR LOCAL YELLOW PAGES” INSTEAD OF “ON LINE” OR MOBILE DEVICES” IT ALL WOULD CERTAINLY APPLY. SOME OF THIS IS NOT OVERLY TECHNICAL. MOST OF IT IS VERY SIMPLE.

Reason #5: You Establish A Relationship With Prospective Patients WHAT A B.S. STATEMENT THIS IS IF YOU ARE IMPLYING THIS IS ONLY POSSIBLE THROUGH ON LINE MARKETING.

It’s impossible to develop a relationship through a Yellow Pages advertisement. WHAT? ARE YOU SERIOUS? DOES ANYONE YOU KNOW WITH ANY COMMON SENCE OR REASONABLE JUDGMENT BUY INTO THIS CRAP?
However, with online marketing you have the chance to respond to requests for information with email messages or online newsletters. You can reach prospects at an emotional level with with a personal video and with a blog you can allow visitors to leave comments to which you can personally respond.
IN YOUR PAST LIFE, YOU HAD TO BE A SNAKE OIL BARKER AND MARKETER. I THINK YOU ACTUALLY BELIEVE YOUR OWN B.S. WHICH IS VERT DANGEROUS.
Reason #6: You Are The Only Choice WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN?
With yellow page advertising, there are a lot of ads and dozens of marketing messages in each category. As an advertiser it’s a game to try to stand out with bright colors and creative graphics. NO….IT’S NOT A GAME. THE LARGEST ADS WITH THE BEST AD COPY MESSAGE, ALWAYS GETS THE MOST RESULTS. THERE IS NOTHING COMPLICATED ABOUT THAT. THE KEY IS TO HAVE A GOOD CREATIVE GRAPHICS PERSON THAT UNDERSTANDS CONSUMERS MORE THAN THEIR EXPRESSION OF CREATIVE SKILLS WITH BRIGHT COLORS PRODUCED BY SOME EGOTISTICAL GRAPHIC ARTISTS THAT FEELS COMPELLED TO “EXPRESS” THEIR CREATIVE SKILLS INSTEAD OF DESIGNING AN AD WITH GOOD COPY TO ATTRACTS AND APPEAL TO THE READER TO PROMPT THEM TO RESPOND TO THE AD BY CALLING THE BUSINESS LISTED IN THE AD. As a reader it’s a confusing mess of information that often results in your competitor getting a phone call, even if your ad was more expensive. SO YOU ARE SAYING THE YELLOW PAGES ADS WORK EVEN IF ONE OF YOUR COMPETITORS HAS A LESS EXPENSIVE AD BUT WITH BETTER AD DESIGN AND AD COPY? SEEMS TO ME THIS WOULD BE GROUNDS TO HANG THE GRAPHIC ARTIST RATHER THAN BURN THE BOOK.

Reason #7: The Graphic Design is Terrible
SO YOU MEAN ALL GRAPHIC DESIGN OR JUST YELLOW PAGES ADS? IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE DESIGN, ITS ALWAYS THE MEDIUM?
In-house graphic designers that work for Yellow Pages companies have no incentive to make one client’s ad generate more success than every other advertiser in the category.
WOW, ANOTHER BLATANT ONE. I GUESS YOU LIVE IN A BLACK AND WHITE WORLD. IT’S SORT OF ALL OR NOTHING WITH YOU?
And, even if you have the sense to hire your own designer, they are limited by ancient printing methods and paper quality that is only fit for wrapping fish.
JOEL ONCE AGAIN YOU SEEM MISINFORMED AND CONFUSED. ALL THE ANCIENT GUTENBERG PRESSES ARE IN MUSEUMS AND THERE IS UNBELIEVABLE PRINTING TECHNOLOGE OUT THERE IN THE BRICK AND MORTER WORLD. AND OH YEAH, NEWSPAPERS ARE THE ONES WITH THE FISH WRAPPER TAG, NOT YELLOW PAGES PHONE BOOKS.
Reason #8: Online Marketing Is Eco-Friendly
I’m not what you would call a tree hugger, but imagine how many trees are being cut down each year to produce a nation full of useless Yellow Pages? With online marketing, you aren’t contributing to the problem of wasted forests and resources.
DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE FORREST INDUSTRY IN THE COUNTRY OTHER THAN WHAT AL GORE SAYS? SURE WE CUT DOWN TREES FOR PAPER, INCLUDING PHONE BOOKS, NEWSPAPERS, NAPKINS, POSTERS, DIRECT MAIL PIECES, THE LIST IS ENDLESS. HELL, YOU ARE A TRULY A MISINFORMED TREE HUGGER BECAUSE YOU DON’T FACTUALLY KNOW A DAMN THINK ABOUT THE TREE GROWTH INDUSTRY. YOU EVER HEAR ABOUT RECYCLING? THAT PAPER IS BETTER THAN PLASTIC BECAUSE IT IS RECYCLABLE? JOEL, GO HUG A HOLLY TREE FOR ME.
Amazing isn’t it? These eight are just some of the dozens of reasons why Yellow Pages ads are such a scam and a mistake. YES INDEED ALL THIS YOU HAVE WRITTEN IS AMAZING. YOU HAVE NOT PROVIDED OR STATED A SINGLE HONEST, FACTUAL REASON NOT TO ADVERTISER IN THE YELLOW PAGES. AND YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT OPINIONS AND BODY ORIFICES…..AND YOU MEET THE TEST FOR SUCH.
Fire your Yellow Pages company. Save money. Save your image. Save the environment.
SO IT ALL BOILS DOWN TO YOU, THE ENTREPENEUR, THE MARKETING PROFESSIONA, THE ON LINE GURU, ONCE YELLOW PAGES AD DESIGNER AND MOST IMPORTANT, YELLOW PAGES HATER OR HENCHMAN FOR ONE OR MORE ANTI-YELLOW PAGES COMPETITOR. YOU MUST BE PROUD?

Joel, it is obvious I am in the yellow pages publishing business. I publish competitive independent yellow pages directories. There are many of out there today that still provide a great and profitable service to local small businesses and professionals. I have been in the business for 32 years. Like almost every independent whether or not it is still run by the original founder and entrepreneur or the second or third generation, I can assure you we all started by putting everything we had on the line to do something that needed to be done. That was take on the giant monopoly telephone companies and their yellow pages publishers. You don’t have any idea what it is like to max out credit cards, borrow more than you could ever pay back, sell personal assets take out second mortgages just to keep your company open and able to make payroll because you believed so much that you were right, doing a good thing and equally had a right to compete because it was the American way. You have no idea how so many of us were able to succeed because we didn’t fall prey to the disparaging and degrading remarks and stories the telco publishers sales reps said about us and our employees and families. Your attack on the industry might be well intended and possibly have merit it you were to direct it properly. But for you to jump on you holier than thou high horse and attack me and other good and honest people like me the way you did, just pisses me off and makes me want to kick your stupid ignorant ass. However, I am too old to kick anyone’s ass other than mentally, so consider my reply to your terrible and unfounded attack on me to be your ass kicking.
There are so many terms and phrases that come to mind as I read and responded to your B.S. diatribe about the yellow pages industry as a whole. One was that a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing and since you are armed with so much incorrect misinformation and have managed to twist and distort it to support your opinion and insult me, makes you very dangerous. I strongly suggest you take the time to get your facts right and applied properly or go attack someone deserving of your dangerous attempts and leave me the hell alone. While I strongly stand behind my words and barbs toward you and your distorted false statements, I also suspect almost every independent yellow pages publisher agrees with me. Many of them aren’t the type to address your meanderings, but I’m old and have too much time on my hands right now. Besides, I fought the good fight and survived BellSouth, GTE and Alltel as well as some of their other smaller thug wannabe phone companies. I will also survive the likes of you chicken little people that think you know so much while you in fact don’t know crap….ah hell, you don’t know shit. (Sometimes only certain words can properly and precisely express a thought)
One last point: You are so dangerous with your distorted facts and spin to support your new endeavor as being an on line guru, marketing professional and yellow pages expert that anyone that blindly buys into your Taurus feces could really make a mistake. As a small business owner with employees that depend on my for their living and support of their families, have you considered the harm and damage you could have on other small business owners that might listen to your crap and do something that might result in more serious consequences that “firing their yellow pages company” that will leaving them with some extra money to take a risk with you? You ever stop and imagine how many people that might harm if you are not correct and spot on for their business? Well if you haven’t you damn sure should before you continue to do what you are doing.
Gerry Screven

Wonderful!

Very nice, blog The material I found productive. We’ve bookmarked it and will eventually check-out all over again eventually. Thanks.

Great ideas.

Thanks for the feedback Spence. I have strong opinions about his topic because I’m tired of seeing small businesses waste their money.

Joel,
Thanks for having the courage to print what most marketers are reluctant to admit. One way or another every business ‘buys’ leads. There’s more to obtaining a quality lead than the number of phone calls received. And in this day and age, if you can’t change direction on what kind of lead you seek and how you go about attracting them on a very frequent basis, you’re doomed. When was the last time you tried a marketing approach and quickly learned that it wasn’t drawing the quantity or quality of lead you intended? Would you want to wait a year to try something else? Crazy. There are many ways to ‘buy’ leads. I share your opinion that Yellow Pages is one of the least cost-effective for many enterprises, especially when measured by anything other than number of calls received.

Thanks for the response. However, I need to set some of your assumptions straight. First of all this article and my opinion about the Yellow Pages isn’t based on my bias toward anything. In fact, I’ve designed Yellow Pages ads for many years and I’m paid to help my clients optimize their marketing budget regardless of the method. Secondly, this opinion is based on a mountain of facts and real world experience working with hundreds and hundreds of small business owners. In fact, this article was prompted by a client of mine who has wasted tens of thousands of dollars with Yellow Page advertising over the past few years with an extremely poor return on investment. I’ve also used the call tracking method you mention for years and in almost all cases it only confirms the fact that other methods of advertising are more cost effective than Yellow Pages advertising.

Joel –
As an advertising executive for over 24 years, I recommend numerous forms of advertising for our clients. That includes yellow pages as well as online advertising. But this article is so biased in favor of your own business it is ridiculous. For example, to make statements such as, ” . . . Yellow Pages is the most worthless advertising investment a healthcare practice could ever make”, is unfounded and without any supported facts. Statements need to be supported with proven facts. Here are the facts: on a cost-per-call basis, “local” community yellow pages far outperform online forms of advertising. In fact, we have compared yellow pages to online ads (Google & Yahoo pay-per-click). The yellow pages outperformed them by a margin of 14 to 1. Here is the proof: As an agency, our clients include small businesses such as restaurants, retailers, and healthcare professionals. Every ad we place for our clients, whether print or online (including online video), has a unique “call tracking” phone number. It records every call, including time of day, call length, and caller ID. (Those are great analytics for any medium). Our clients receive as much as 140+ calls every month from their yellow pages advertising! This includes healthcare professionals (physicians, dentists, etc.). The fact is that consumers are still using the yellow pages – and using them a lot! Results vary by category, as professionals may receive less calls, yet their average new client is worth much more than a restaurant or beauty salon. Our advertising decisions are driven by actual results, not theory. Regarding yellow pages, the best yellow pages are the local “community” phone books. As I mentioned, these local yellow pages outperform the online ads by a margin of 14 to 1 (on a cost-per-call basis). They have low rates and high usage. The problem with the high yellow page rates and poor ad quality that you mention has been with the utility publishers (i.e. AT&T, Idearc). Their years of abuse of businesses with high rates and poor service have finally caught up to them. Businesses have another option these days – local “community” phone books and local online options (i.e. Google Maps/Places). The bottom line is this: advertising decisions should be based on proven results and the return of investment. Place a “tracking number” in your proposed advertising medium (online, print, or video) and let the facts decide. Once you have the facts, yellow pages and online will both be part of a comprehensive advertising strategy for your clients.