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<DIV>In a message dated 1/13/2006 7:38:56 P.M. Central Standard Time,
skline@peak.org writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><=
FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=
=2>for one
thing,<BR>I've never wanted to live in such a big place that my<BR>yellow
pages listing could get lost in a crowd </FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I once had a newbie tuner ask me for advice on how to get his business
started. I said, "First of all, live somewhere where you are the only
tuner within 50 miles."</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>I have struggled to build a full-time business here in the suburbs of
Chicago for nearly 10 years now. There are tuners in every suburb
surrounding me, although I am the only tuner in my town. All told, the=
re
are about 12 tuners in the phone book, though. I often hear the
comment from a new client that they chose me because I lived =
in
their home town. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I'm sure people in the surrounding suburbs choose their hometown tuner =
over
me, limiting the number of cold calls I receive. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Yes, my business does grow each year, but not fast enough for me. =
</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I recently took over a retiring tuner's business in a different area, a=
bout
25 miles from here. I am listed in the phone book out there, too. =
;
There are 4 tuners in the book out there, but I am the only one in my new ci=
ty,
and the others' home towns are about 10 miles away.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>In December I was amazed at the number of cold calls I got from my Yell=
ow
Pages listing out there. I had twice as much business from m=
y
'new' location than in my old. Granted, the retired technician whose
business I have assumed had been in business for over 25 years out there, bu=
t
these were cold calls, and I think it's directly related to the number of tu=
ners
in the book. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Sadly, here at home, the people who 'let their fingers do the walking' =
have
many tuners to choose from. Happily, with the two listings together, I=
am
now busier than I have ever been.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I hope you all have a profitable coming year, and are filled with =
as
much optimism as I am. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Tom Sivak</DIV>
<DIV>Chicago</DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>