[Neil Grainger]

Well here goes.

Last year I was told there would be no prefix's of any kind in the book including ........ aaaaaa. Books comes out and what do I find all the companies are listed as aaaaaaaaa. So Justins was aaaaaaMax Cleaning.  My name is A Clean Touch and you would think I would be near the front I was on page 8 and of all the companies listed in front of me only 2 should have been infront of me if listed alphabeticaly as per their Terms.

The best bit is that the sales Rep gave me a letter detailing that no prefixes should be infront of your company name and those that are will be placed at the back. Lie's Lie's Lie's. They insist that all these companies can do this because there company name is aaaaaaMax Cleaning, Like Hell they are.

I have not paid a penny for this so they are saying they are going to take me to court. I am currently getting letters from their debt Collectors Tenon demanding full payment.

They told me lies but offered me a 40% discount on the Adverts. I am going to let them take me to court if needs be but I am not going to budge on this. They wont admit that they are wrong.

[Phil Marlor]

Well, I'll say it again, ours has more than paid for each monthly installment.

Well lucky you then, mine hasn't and never does, this is the last time I will be ripped off.

I guess you are near the front of the section, because you haven't a hope if you in the middle.

The sponsored listing on yell.com was never mentioned when the rep came round,  we now get an inferior producy at the same price, I will say it again Yellow pages is overated, going colour has only in affect lined their own pockets because everyone has to go colour to compete, in fact it's probably better now to go white and stand out from the colour.

Phil

[Neil Williams]

Neil,
And now for something really ironic.
I did a suite clean in Yateley today thanks to YP/Y.D.C

Neil W

[Shaun_Ashmore]

If you have a letter guard it with your life and you will win win win in court, I don't think they will even take you there if you send a snotty letter and a copy of their letter to them.

Shaun

[Phil Marlor]

Neil,
And now for something really ironic.
I did a suite clean in Yateley today thanks to YP/Y.D.C

Neil W

Your point being?

Phil

[Neil Williams]

I guess you are near the front of the section, because you haven't a hope if you in the middle.

Page 7 of 7. Neil Grainger can prove that as we're in the same book.

[Phil Marlor]

Not being clever here, but another CC in my area had his advert at the back and swears he had a good year due to people who read things in reverse, like a newspaper.

Its when your in the middle it doesn't work, I am convinced of this.

Phil

[Neil Grainger]

No Ironic really, I did 2 myself today in Yateley through google. Yellowpages is rubbish and google is the way forward.


Neil I am not in this years book so it can be all yours, I have come accross your work when your customers have rang me to put things right

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Ladies please

[Neil Williams]

No Ironic really, I did 2 myself today in Yateley through google. Yellowpages is rubbish and google is the way forward.
Neil I am not in this years book so it can be all yours, I have come accross your work when your customers have rang me to put things right

I wasn't being personal or having a go at you but if you want to go that way bring it on.
name the customers or the address's (willclean@ntlworld.com)
FFS what is it with this site

Infact as you've now put this on a public forum I'd advise you to name these customers or I'll consider legal advice on slander.

[lands]

Shaun, Ashtin,

I don't think I am being to hard. I am speaking from both sides of the fence. I was a rep for YP for 6 years. Everything Ashtin has mentioned is straight from the ISTC (initial sales training course) I was taught in 1993.

Ashtin I know you do a tough job (which by the way you get paid hansomely for - about £34k basic alone + car + laptop + mobile) and I don't doubt you are a nice fella but you have to understand that the things you are now talking about are dated. If someone wants to find you these days its very easy. YP is not the monolopy it once was.

To be fair, YP was once a license to print money and now (for the most part) its a license to lose it.

Lets just agree that the internet and well thought out direct marketing and networking is the way forward.

To throw a caviate in there, it seems there are still geographical pockets of resistance to the YP don't work any more, but mostly it is a machine used to making alot of money and working hard to remain in that vein.

Pete

Simple Example.

When was the last time you saw a Direct Line or Churchill advert on TV/Newspaper/Billboard?
Do you remember the number from the specific advert? Most likely not.
If after a week of seeing the advert you needed to renew your car insurance would you still remember the number?

Its your choice what you turn to in order to find that telephone number :  Internet, Directory, Leaflet or Telephone (118). (please note I am not saying everyone will pick up just the directory)

Similarly,  I may have seen your van on the street, passing by, or picked up a leaflet at some point. Now, when I need my carpet cleaned I will use one of the above options to get your number.

When you ask me where did I hear about you I will most likely say I saw your van or leaflet.

BUT, where did I find your number?

This is why I recommend you ask EVERY customer where they found your telephone number...

[AquaMagic]

If as this YP rep says the best reason for being is in the YP is as a reference for people to find your number when they see your other ads on van etc, then why do we need to pay for a big colour advert surley the free one liner will do???

Dene

[lands]

Good point.

If as this YP rep says the best reason for being is in the YP is as a reference for people to find your number when they see your other ads on van etc, then why do we need to pay for a big colour advert surley the free one liner will do???

Dene

[Bertie Boo]

Many of your existing customers will use Yellow Pages to find you, if you are not there what impression does it give?

Presumably the impression that you're sooooo good you dont need to advertise as your work is all recommendation.

My 'existing' customers all have my phone number already.

Stephen

[Bertie Boo]

Im now suggesting they have their carpets cleaned with leaflets
Ollie

LOL Sorry ollie, just reads funny, i'm trying to picture you cleaning a carpet with a leaflet 

Stephen

[Neil Grainger]

Neil

As you can see I put a wink at the end of that line, IT WAS A JOKE. Dont be so touchy or dont use forums like this.

I know a lot of the People that advertise in the Basingstoke Yellow Pages and most of them dont do very well out of it. MY comments come from the Guildford book that you have to be in to get area's such as Camberley Guildford Sandhurst and other area's. I considered doing it for the fact that I thought I may need a presence in it but since the advent of Google Adwords I took a view that Google adwords is they way forward and the return from that is approx 10-1 at the moment.

To be honest Basingstoke is not an area I want to work in but you need it for Fleet, Farnborough, Hook, Hartley Wintney, Church Crookham & Odiham. Where I live in Yateley I live on the border of 3 books so to get a 10 mile radius i needed to go in all 3. But I have pulled that this year and we will see what happens.

The good thing is that a lot of people will keep older books so I will still have a presence. If I find that i have lost money by not advertising then I will hold my hands and come back in. I still have my free listing though and have saved myself about £3500.

Good for you that you got a job on my doorstep. Would be amazing if I got every carpet cleaning Job in my home town.

[maxcarpets]

Neil,

I agree when I was in the Guildford & basingstoke books I lost money, I had one call from the Basingstoke book.
I dont think we should bragg about working on each others doorstep I'm sure it happens all the time, as long as we are all busy!

Cheers

Justin

[Neil Grainger]

Justin

What are you aiming to get from this with the reps, I have tried this route with them before and they just come back with all their sales rubbish, they think that we were born yesterday.

Sales people say that they care but are really only interested in how much money they can get from you.

Another busy day I hope for you, Most of August is booked up, hope it carries on in September as well.

Cheers

Neil

[melanie rowe]

Neil williams wrote : I find some of the comments on here nothing less than rude and from people who haven't even filled in a fraction of their personal details.


You havent filled in a great deal of yours either, pal......

i think you should solve your problem, by confronting it.......

[Robert Parry]

Great thread guys, quite impressed by the rep even being bothered to read it, although to be quite honest, dont think he would be prepared to stand up in front of a room full of customers!

Very simple way, of fixing all of the positioning problems, make each rep ask to see the cheque book of each firm that wants to place an ad, and use that to position the ad, no exceptions, spent nearly £20,000 three years ago, got well done over, (being very polite!!), never again, until that time, ads always worked well, return of at least 10 to 1.

Regards,

Rob