"Secret Strategies for Making $25,000, $50,000, Even $150,000 Every Year from the Yellow Pages"

By: The Practice Builder

Please see pages xx, Part #A-618 for information on how to order

Over the years I've crusaded against some of the lousy ads that chiropractors seem so fond of buying in the Yellow Pages. You know -- the ones that give away everything but the kitchen sink. The ones that list every place you went to school, every degree received (including temperature), every grade earned, and every club or organization ever joined now or in the future. The ads that make used car salesmen blush with envy.

So now I'm reviewing two audio tapes on how to get the most out of Yellow Page advertising. Quite naturally, I was prejudiced before I heard the tapes. Early on, however, the speaker makes it quite clear that too many of the ads he's seen have reflected poorly upon the professionalism of those who produced them. Now I was ready to listen -- he was on my side.

Right at the beginning the speaker states that all his company has done is translate the successful concepts of big business into the context of the individual professional. He goes on to say that the Yellow Pages is a rough game that sometimes requires a substantial output. But, he cautions, you must concentrate on the results expected, not the initial financial expense if you're to be a successful "Yellow Page Player."

Some of the statistics he quoted were quite interesting. Apparently there are some 4,900 headings in the average Yellow Pages directory. Of the categories most often used, "Real Estate" is number one, followed closely by "Restaurants," and then "Insurance." It seems that if your endeavor is in the top 500 most used categories, the Yellow Page war is something you should wage with financial vigor.

The next question is of course -- where are we? Under the heading of "Chiropractors" we rank 53rd while under "Chiropractic Physicians" we're at the 91st spot -- still in the top 100 out of 4,900 headings. "Physicians -- MD" comes in as the 28th most used heading.

Of extreme importance seems to be the actual placement of your ad within your category. Since the average person reads from the front to the back, it's almost mandatory to be among the nearest to the start of your section. The question was then ventured as to how this could be assured. The answer was to create a larger ad because they always get preferential treatment from the publisher.

Also discussed are ways to find the best target area for your advertising dollar. Too many waste their time and money producing ads out of their territory. Another important point was emphasized -- with few exceptions "people won't shop in areas poorer than their own." In other words, if you have an office in Flatbush, it's pointless to advertise it in a Park Avenue directory.

Later, the seminar progresses into its most important part -- the actual presentation of the ads -- both the good and the back. While these are audio tapes, the descriptions are so vivid that you can almost visualize them.

Listening to the tapes is really quite an enjoyable enterprise. The speaker is excellent and the subject is fascinating. He fine-tunes and focuses the needs of the individual professional to the needs of the public he serves.

I haven't been totally converted; however, I'm not so old and set in my ways that I can't learn a thing or two from those who are in the business of merchandising. They continually stress that Practice Builders concentrates not on the retailing of the individual but in the promotion of a professional image for the professional. Aggressive advertising with integrity.

While I might not agree with all the words and ideas, I certainly would follow the suggestions offered if I ever decided to concentrate on this form of advertising. For those of you committed to the Yellow Pages war, these tapes should be an indispensable form of ammunition.