Over the past couple years I have liked my yellow pages representative. Honestly, that slim bond was the only thing that even kept me in the book. I will not name names, but we are talking the "main" Bellingham phone book here, not one of the copycat books of which there are many. My wife, who took over paying bills a few months back, has told me that I ought to dump the yellow pages and the $50.00 per month that they charge. I spent 30 years in media and marketing so I know how to track my business. I can say that I have not been able to track a client back to the yellow pages since 2007. Just the same, I was going to keep the listing another year, except the representative said that the rate was going up. Now, it was not going up much, but even two bucks more a month is a lot when a person is convinced that there is no value in the product. That small bump tossed me over the edge and I told the rep that, far as I could tell, they had blinders on and nobody cares about the book anymore. They have been replaced mainly by three words : Google, Yahoo and Bing. The rep, nicely, explained that I was wrong and suggested that all these people I am crediting to the Internet have, in fact, found me first in the yellow pages and then they decided to look me up to find out more. Now I better understand the power of Google -- Pleeeeeeease! I think that, like the photo copy shops, the numerous one-hour photo developing shops and the VHS video store on every corner, the yellow pages are sinking into the abyss. And one thing I am sure of, having worked in AM radio as it started to fall in popularity to FM, is that ignoring a problem and pretending that you are better than ever is a sure way to fail big. I think that is where the yellow pages are headed. We call it skydiving without a parachute. Long story short, I am now gone from the yellow pages. Thanks for stopping by, Steven L. Smith
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The yellow pages is so 19th century :) Not worth the money, rainmaker far EXCEEDS the value for your money!
We could save a ton of trees without all of those things. What a waste. My son loves them as he uses them for target practice.
Those big thick phone books are going the way of the same bulky MLS books agents used to tote around in the back seat of their car before the computer age!
Yes,
I agree they are going going, nearly gone. I give them less than ten more years.
For the life of me I don't understand why yellow pages are still printed. I can't remember when was the last time I looked for something in a phone book. I just received my new yellow pages copy and I immediately placed it in my community recycling receptacle. We could save so many trees by not printing an out dated data source.
Steve, I could see making a case for making them illegal :) fortunately the market place will do them in without legislation but there sure will be a lot of trees cut down in the mean time.
Mine go directly from my front doorstep to the recycling bin each and every time they deliver them, why would I look up a business ad in print when I can go online and get a better feel for what they're like - especially if they blog or have some sort of interactive online presence :)
That is an incredible statistic on tracking. We often don't track our ads and it can be a real eye opener when we do...
Charlie and Paul,
Agreed on both counts. I think being in the YP is plain squirrely.
They have outlived their usefulness. I have to give credit to the rep for a good piece of fiction.
So, you're no longer going yellow and that is making your rep blue?
Just trying to understand here...
I agree that fewer people are using the phone book but not all old folks have died yet and I know a whole bunch of people who don't know how to turn on a computer but can reach for the phone book. But you're right.....fewer people each year.
I agree with Barbara. In our area, some people don't even have email/internet. We get a fair amount of business from the Yellow Pages. I use the Yellow Pages all the time.
Barbara and Joshua,
It seems like so much of my customer base is computer age, 60 and under, that may be why I get zero yellow pages. I think, in this field, we get so many younger folks versus older ones, buying that it skues the statistics. If you figure google is free and the yellow pages is silly in price, then they are still a lousy buy.
Wait "60 and under"? Good advice Steven. We here are the same. Stopped yellow pages 2 years ago, of course, I didn't have the slim bond.
I have to agree with you. The yellow pages IS SINKING INTO THE ABYSS!
People bring stacks of various white and yellow page books to our office and as soon as they leave one or two old timers will grab a book. But for the rest in the garbage they go. Poor trees!
Coming to you from Texas,,,
I signed up for Yellow Pages when I was in my first year of real estate and pretty much an idiot. Haven't missed them at all after the first year of nothing.
Steve, I think that you are right. The yellow pages is dying and is quickly being replaced by electronic media...
Steve,
I cringe when I see another yellow pages book on my doorstep! I don't use them at all. What a waste of good trees.