Posted by ski on March 16, 2006 at 18:56:51:
Cut out the we by “homes” stuff. People do not want sell “Homes”, they are more willing to sell a “house”. A whole lot less personal. Gives them the warm fuzzy feeling that you are not trying to take them.
Critique my yellow page ad - Posted by Levi
Posted by Levi on March 16, 2006 at 12:32:18:
I’m thinking about placing this ad in the yellow pages. I think it would generate quite a bit of interest because it is so different than most “We Buy Houses” ads. What do you think?
Have used a Full Page ad for 4 years… - Posted by Bobby (SC)
Posted by Bobby (SC) on March 17, 2006 at 21:30:50:
Levi…Levi…Levi
I looked at your yellow page ad and I think you are about to make the say mistake(s) that I made when I was looking for a “different way”
Will your yellow page ad work?
Maybe…maybe not. (my first one was really, really, bad…and ineffective too)
Does yellow page advertising work?
Probably not in your town:)
It works in mine. I have bought a lot of “Pretty Houses” from folks who are relocating and looking for a solution to making two house payments.
I have bought several from folks who have gone the listing/Realtor route and have picked up the telephone book when they are looking for a better answer.
Am I going to advertise in the yellow pages next year?
You can bet your girlriend/wife’s diamond on it!
What does my yellow page ad cost?
It doesn’t “cost”…it is an investment in your business (and future)
What “SECRETS” can I give you about my yellow page ad?
(1) Do not let a Yellow Page rep create your ad and tell you how to spend your money on a service that they are absolutely clueless about what you do or how to get you motivated sellers.
(2) Do not even think about using an ad that you will be paying for the next 12 months (and will be seen for 2-3 years aka “shelf life”) …without testing it to see if it works!
Deadline for yellow page ads are coming up and the reps will be pressuring you to meet their deadline…don’t you dare commit to running an ad until you know how it pulls.
You are better off testing, testing, testing and testing somemore until you have a good ad…than you are to put a
bad ad in and have to live with it
(3) Before you run the ad that you’re thinking about running you need to meet Dick Larkin.
Dick Larkin (858-614-5425) tweaked my yellow page ad and I got 250% more calls! (Translation=I bought a lot more houses:)
I think his website is www.yellowpagecommando.com (or Google him )
Finding Dick Larkin was one of the luckiest things that has happened to me in my investing career.
I shudder to think how much money I would have spent (wasted) without him
Good luck…
Bobby (SC)
Re: Critique my yellow page ad - Posted by Frank Chin
Posted by Frank Chin on March 17, 2006 at 08:39:37:
Levi:
While the other have some good points, I see you’re trying to sound DIFFERENT than everyone else.
For instance, I get postcards from realtors that all sound the same, i.e., professional. But the only one that stuck in my mind was one agent whose card portrayed him as a family man, wearing a turtleneck, sitting in his living room with the wife and kids.
All the others has some guy or gal in a suit, saying something like “Call us to sell your home”
But, as someone who spent money on newspapers, flyers, Yellow Book, free magazines etc., I’m not quite sure the Yellow Pages is really the best medium.
I was in the computer consulting business once, attended a conference, and spoke to people who’s been in business for years. They mentioned that they get very little real business from the yellow pages.
Yet, I spoke to a Air Conditioner repair man, and he said he get 90% of his business from the Yellow Pages. Recently, the refigerator repair man said the same, but mentioned that the call volume came down tremendously since the ad was not in a prominent spot as in prior years.
The key was, my AC or refigerator broke, the Yellow pages is what I think of first, where can I quickly find a guy. The AC guy says that larger companies keep Yellow Pages for several years, and make sure you’re in the older ones before calling.
I spoke to someone I partnered with in the RE business finding me deals, and he markets instead to attornies. He says around here, people call attornies or relators when they run into a problem, not look up the Yellow pages.
Frank Chin
Re: Critique my yellow page ad - Posted by DSmith
Posted by DSmith on March 16, 2006 at 12:40:07:
I think if you?re going to go the Yellow Pages rout, you should make it sound more like a professional business. Use a professional sounding business name and cut out the me and my wife stuff.
.02