Do yellow pages pay?

[Ted Simmons]

I always ask my customers where they got my name.  Most are from referrals
or from the piano store that has me do their work.  Only once, repeat once,
did a customer get my name from the yellow pages.  My name is the last one
on the list  and there are 7 above me.  The natural impulse is to start
from the top and work down.  Usually they've found a tuner long before they
reach the bottom of the list.  I mentioned that one customer did get my
name from the yellow pages, but that is because she decided to be different
and start at the bottom.  I continue to list my name just in case a
customer has lost or can't find my card. Maybe if I had a fancier listing
instead of the one-liner it might stand out more and bring more customers.
But I'm doing all right without that.

Ted Simmons, Merritt Island, FL

>What have some of you done who mostly work for yourself, especially if you
>don't offer rebuilding? Have you found yellow pages advertising cost
>effective?
>
>Sincerely,
>Wally Scherer
>Norfolk, Virginia
>WallyTS@compuserve.com