At Contractor 20/20 - Plumbing, Marketing and Advertising, HVAC Marketing and Advertising & Electric Marketing and Advertising is our Specialty. Contractor 20/20 serves over 100 independent contractors in 40 states with complete direct mail. TV and radio advertising agency services and consumer research services. We have developed, researched and tested the "most successful" marketing techniques. We are the largest advertising agency serving independent contractors in the nation. If you wish to maximize your sales to prior customers and new customers - if you want to learn how other contractors hav achieved 15-20% net profit, give us a call at (607) 770-8933, ext. 80 and request a referral list.

END YELLOW PAGE ADDICTION ...
FIRE YOUR YELLOW PAGE SALESMAN
Note: this was originally a post made to the ServiceRoundTable.com.
The key to doing well, negotiation with yellow pages is to have strong alternatives.
Step 1) Analyzes your new customer cost from the ads by comparing what you got in sales to what it cost you to acquire the customers ... I have tracking sheets designed just for this purpose (free to SR members) ... note, you don't have too track every customer. A fair random sample of 50 could show you the trends to project against the total.
Step 2) Then compare your new customer acquisition cost to others in your industry.
Step 3) Test direct mail pieces with a good national record of success to see if you can meet or beat the yellow page results.
Step 4) Target your direct mail by age of homeowner, age of home, value of home for best results, even credit scores if you can make a firm offer of credit.
Step 5) Once you have established your new customer cost test, you're pricing against your closing ratios to see if new customers will bear the cost of their acquisition at expectable closing rates.
Step 6) Set up a direct mail program to old customers to maximize retention unaided by the yellow pages.
Step 7) Leave an outdoor thermometer attached to your old customer's exterior kitchen window so your customers can find your number without the phone book.
Now you will know
1) What are new customers cost you out of the yellow pages.
2) If you are making money from yellow pages.
3) Can you replace them for less with direct mail leads.
4) That your old customers have a way to find you ...
The GOOD NEWS ... you can figure out in three months if direct mail will let you fire the yellow pages.
The BAD NEWS ... it could take you two or three years to get the thermometers in all your old customers homes during a normal service rotation.
For TOO LONG the industry has been overly dependent on yellow page advertising ... but now some are now dropping out of them before they test the real value or have a cost effective consistent substitute for leads in place.
You can even beat direct mail's results with Radio and TV is done correctly:
1) The coverage area of the station matches the service area of the contractor.
2) The price of the spots matches the size of the audience.
3) The script has an endorsement, a testimonial and a call to action.
In my work with over 80 clients in 26 states, I have seen there is a sensible way to make the transition, to break your yellow page addiction.



I am proud to be associated with the largest and most respected contractor groups in the nation as a
PHCC/QSC (Quality Service Contractors Industry Partner) and as a Service Roundtable Consult Partner.

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A Final personal note.. The marketing industry has a long dark history of disreputable operators. If you have been in business for a time, no doubt you have your own story to tell. That is why I urge you to check our referrals … see for yourself how our counsel has been a blessing to contractors from Coast to Coast. If you do, you will learn how faithful to our clients' interests we are, so different from too many clients' past experiences. Click Here to E-Mail Mike