rashamba

Want to use the last nail in the coffin to take business owners away from paying thousands for yellow pages ads into your clients? I believe this is it. Go out and spread the word and knock down some more customers you money grubbing crew...
San Francisco board votes 10-1 to restrict delivery of yellow pages

San Francisco may be 1st city to cut Yellow Pages - KTNV ABC,Channel 13,Las Vegas,Nevada,News,Weather,Sports,Entertainment,KTN V.com,Action News .:.

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Steve Holmes

Wow, there it is in black and white.

Great to use as a reference point when you are explaining that everything is online now.

"Some states are now banning the YP"

tpw

Or more accurately, "Some municipalities are banning the YP. How will your business survive if your local government also makes this move?"

MichaelHiles

I get sentiment here. But the environmentalists in San Fransisco are sort of in a league of all their own, and not necessarily indicative of any other place in... oh... the rest of known reality...-

rashamba

Remember, San Francisco was the first to legalize gay marriage. Now it is legal in Iowa!
I already talk about the ineffectiveness of the yp in today's market. This just adds to the narrative. Remember we are not trying to convince ourselves, but our prospects that they are ahead of the trend.

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MichaelHiles

Well I agree with the trend, but if you go trying to sell that to someone on Main Street in say, Noblesville, Indiana, they're going to sputter off a string of eloquent expletives about San Fransisco {fill in your anti-gay homophopic term here}.

I'm not disagreeing with your assessment of the trend. It's been a long time in the coming and will continue.

But also understanding your market and customer base is paramount, and in many communities, what happens in San Fransisco isn't on the bucket list for the town council.

tpw

That is so true...

Those are also the same clowns who prohibited military recruiting near college campuses.

That kind of thinking won't be coming to Oklahoma any time too soon either.

rashamba

I shouldn't keep going I know...
Anyone in here ever sold anything? You worried people will argue about SF? Try this
"Recently in the news, some cities have made proposals to limit Yellow Pages to only people who request them. Mr. Customer, not only are fewer people using the Yellow Pages, they may soon become relics of the past. With more people using smart phones to look up services you need to make sure you get in front of these qualified searches. If you want to keep a Yellow pages listing, we can probably keep you at the same budget plus get your listed on front page of internet searches. Would that interest you?"

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MichaelHiles

LOL rashamba, that's a great pitch, and completely different.

I already said that I didn't disagree with the rationale that YP was going by the way of the velociraptor.

My point was that if you toss something like "Well in San Fransisco the town council has banned Yellow Pages delivery," that could garner a less than savory response from a business owner not giving much of a crap what San Fransiscans do.

There's a whole lot of those folks in the hinterlands.

rofl... I've sold a little bit here and there. One thing I do know very well is don't create objections in your own sales dialogue with ad hoc references to things that your prospect may find objectionable.

Your angle may work very well in Portland, Oregon or Madison, Wisconsin. Maybe even Austin, Texas, and most definately Boston, Massachusetts.

Know thy prospect.

jimevee

Still surprises me that the YP's are still in business, I guess so people are still using them however personally I don't of one person that does.

alanborcic

If we live on email and smart phones, that does not mean that everyone else does. You would be suprised how many people still use computer for reading news and email only, and how many people do not have smart phone. Even if they have it, they use it for making and receiving calls only.
I can only second Michael's statement, know thy prospect, and target your message to them. Do not do pray and spray marketing.

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jimevee

Yeah I can imagine all the small town across America are very slow to adapt new technology but for any major city or suburb of a major city I see the YP as totally useless. The internet and webpages are the new "yellowpages"

redlegrich

Seattle is going to the opt-in route (I think, maybe it's opt-out, no matter), but it's still in court. However Seattle is pretty far along in abandoning the YPs. I think the real issue is the cost of the YP for even a decent size placement. The YP is not cheap. If most businesses diverted some of those funds to Internet placements they would be much better off. But.... in many parts of the country, and in many demographic group (age, income etc.) they are still used. It is not an either or thing but a good blend of what works for a specific market. many businesses are scared to simply dump the YP, so get them to reduce the current spend and see what transpires with new media and methods.

tpw

Honestly, it should not be up to the local government to decide whether a form of advertising should be permitted or banned.

I honestly think this is an example of local governments overstepping their authority.

Giving the option of opting out might allow YP publishers to save some printing costs, and it may be a step forward to save the environment, because they would not waste paper at my house. But that is not the point.

Whether the YP is a form of advertising you utilize profitably or not, it is just another advertising medium.

To outlaw the YP based on "environmental concerns" would set a precedent for the municipalities to also outlaw newspapers, whose business model is suffering and whose advertising value is also in question.

This is a slippery slope, and I am concerned that municipalities should not be writing laws to prohibit one type of advertising or another.