22 November 2011
Every county across our country has Yellow Pages calling and visiting a couple of times a year when it’s their turn! The directory has suffered because of the internet and Yell now heavily promote Yell.com and various web services including Google Adwords at a premium.

Every now and then we get a customer who has taken out a Yell.com ad without a website (it’ll only be a matter of time before Yell persuade them to have one God forbid!) and sees their Yell ad as their web page and sometimes we have customers who know somebody who has an entry on Yell.

We never denigrate the competition, in Yell’s case we don’t comment on loss of market sentiment but rather stick to the basic facts.

This is not a sure fire sales close, our aim is always to engage with the customer in a conversation which highlights their wants and needs from a business web site whether talking on a telesales or face to face basis.

As a business we takes notes of how objections were overcome and led to constructive conversation, our aim is always to engage with the customer in a conversation which highlights their wants and needs from a business website.

For a designer entering the freelance world it might be useful to have some idea answers in advance as to stumble in a sales call or meeting usually ends in the client going elsewhere.




Customer; I’ve got a page on Yell.com I don’t need a website.

That’s great, so I’m preaching to the converted then, you obviously see the internet as a rout e to market so you’ve spent your hard earned cash with Yell, and I think it’s quite expensive isn’t it?


Customer; It’s not cheap, but not to expensive…

Mind you it was a couple of years ago that I had my entry on there. Do they still call them light, medium and sponsored listing placements? I had a medium weight and it cost me about £500. How’s it working for you? Has it paid for itself yet?


Customer; I think so, it seems ok.

That’s great, so you’ll probably do it next year then will you?


Customer; We’ll see how it goes…

It’s how they make their money, repeat advertising, and it never gets cheaper does it!

That’s one of the reasons why businesses have their own websites, they only pay for it once!

The other main reason businesses have their own, and this is probably the biggest objection that Yell.com sales people get is this. People in general, when they go on the internet, use Google don’t they.

If you were looking for something on the web, lets say a local supplier of XYZ and the Google results gave you 3 local supplier web sites and a Yell.com link, would you click on Yell to keep searching, or haven’t Google already given you what you’re looking for?


Customer; Yeh, but people do use Yell

They do, but I wonder how much business is actually lost by advertisers because people want quick and direct results? Do you see what I mean, what would you click on? A web site that was giving what you were looking for or a directory where you’d have to keep on looking?


Customer; I do see what you mean, but there’s so much competition out there

Exactly my point, when a customer looks at a directory site they are by default surrounded by your competition, with a decent position on Google with your own site, when a customer clicks you they are essentially stepping into your business, you’re hardly likely to be advertising your competitors on your own website are you?


Customer;But it’s getting a decent position on Google that’s the hard bit isn’t it?

So if I understand you, if you had your own site, and a decent position on Google you think that would be better for your business than a page on a directory site like Yell?


Customer; It might be, but how much would it cost, really, to get a great site together and then a decent position on Google?

Well this is what we do but before I get into the nitty gritty would there be any other reason apart from the costs, the money, that would stop you from having your own website for your business in this day and age?


Customer; It always comes down to cost, how much is it?

Ok, there are a variety of levels you can star at, some quite inexpensive but some quite expensive. To make sure I don’t quote you for a site that you wouldn’t need, can I ask you briefly what you would want your site to do for you in general terms?
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