1. You avoid advertising in the Yellow Pages even when your type of business is a proven Yellow Page winner.

If you are interested in building your business, and if you are in the type of business that traditionally does well with Yellow Pages, then this is a common and big mistake made by small business owners.

People still use Yellow Pages today heavily! It is estimated that 80 to 90% of the people in the United States use the Yellow pages regularly. For decades and decades, people have been trained to go to the Yellow Pages in search of specific products and services. It is a conditioned response. They will automatically go to there to find what they need.

It is always amazing to me that many business owners decide not to advertise in the phone directories when their type of business is a proven Yellow Page winner. But it happens often.

Look through the Yellow Pages under the headings that are among the highest referenced, such as Restaurants, Auto Repair & Service, Attorneys, Beauty Salons, Insurance, Plumbing Contractors, Florists-Retail, etc. It is a proven fact that classifications such as these are frequently looked up by consumers. Yet many businesses are simply listed under these headings, and perhaps not at all.

2. You advertise in only one directory, and ignore the other directories in your marketplace.

This mistake is also commonly made. Business owners typically assume that only one book is being used in the marketplace and that the other books are thrown away or simply never used. They may use the Yellow Page directories that way and they assume that everyone else does, too. This is simply not the case.

If you are trying to build your business and you are in the type of business that traditionally does well with Yellow Pages, then you owe it to yourself to rethink your strategy. If the fish are biting on one side of the boat, they will bite on the other side too.

3. You believe that everybody knows you and that you do not need to advertise.

Think about your own situation. How long have you lived in your area? Do you know every business within a few mile radius of where you live? A few block radius? Chances are you don t. Recently, I was surprised to learn that a business located very close to my home has been in operation for many years and yet I never heard of it before until I needed its service and found it in the Yellow Pages!

Every company loses customers over time. People move away, they pass away, they become dissatisfied with your service, they become credit problems, etc. Yellow Pages are a great way to replenish some of those old customers with new ones.

4. You don t track your calls, and assume that your Yellow Page advertising program is not working for you.

Business owners are busy people. They wear a lot of hats and have a lot to do. Normally, they don t take the time to determine whether their Yellow Page program is making money for them. They may even make the leap and assume that they aren t getting any calls from their Yellow Page advertising program at all.

To measure the effectiveness of your program, the business owner s job is to determine the number of calls coming into his or her business from the Yellow Pages. With a few simple steps, you can easily do this. Then you will definitely know. Sometimes the results can be quite amazing.

5. Your advertising program is not big enough to meet the growth goals of your company.

Business owners often think that a small column space ad or a simple listing will work just as well as a display ad. They think this way because they often do not understand how Yellow Pages work and that it will save them money.

If you want to attract a lot of new customers and sales, you must have a program that will accomplish it.

A small column space ad can work if all your competitors only have regular listings under your Yellow Page heading. However, if many of your main competitors have display ads and you only have a small column space ad, you are not going to generate the call volume you need. Yellow Pages simply do not work that way.

6. You spend too much for Yellow Page advertising and fail to use simple money saving strategies.

You need to make that sure you stretch as much out for your advertising dollar as possible. You want a Yellow Page advertising program that works and brings in business, yet you also want to be careful how you spend your money. There are many ways which you can save money and still have a very effective program. For example:

• Make sure your Yellow Page advertising program matches your business goals and needs.
• Learn proper negotiation strategies in dealing with your sales representatives.
• You need the right size ad for your Yellow Page heading.
• Use color wisely.

7. You don t handle your calls from the Yellow Pages properly.

When people go to the Yellow Pages, they want a product or service, they want to spend money, and they are looking for somewhere to do it. You must respond quickly. This in itself is a huge competitive advantage.

It is always best to have someone a human being answer your phone calls. When people want a product or service, they want to speak to someone. They have questions and they want them answered now!

If you use voice mail or answering machines it is important that you use these tools properly. Otherwise, you can lose up to 50% of your calls! Prospective customers hear the message and simply hang up. They don't have the patience to wait. They will call another business your competitor to speak to someone who will immediately answer their questions.

Over the years, I have spoken to hundreds of business owners who are Yellow Page believers. They have taken careful steps to avoid these seven common mistakes. And, they will continue to advertise year after year, because they know it works. They get a good return on their investment.

Business owners who are representing themselves properly in the Yellow Pages are capitalizing on a tremendous opportunity to build their customer base and to earn profit. Certain kinds of businesses simply need to be in the Yellow Pages!

About the Author:

Andre Zick is author of a new program Yellow Page Advertising the Complete Business Owners Guide to Success. For more information visit www.azpublications.com or write to az@azpublications.com or PO Box 1688, Idaho Falls, ID 83403.