Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm approaching the end of one year in the business full time, and this month is when I must get my request in to the phone company if I want to change my service to commercial. (I tuned part-time for 17 years, mostly overseas.) The basic rate would be about $60 as compared to $15 for private residential. I would get a one line, normal typeface listing in the yellow pages under "Piano Tuning and Repair". Some of the local techs have said that their yellow pages ad DOES pay because of their rebuilding service. (They have a display ad which costs about $200 a month.) Others have said that they USED to have a yellow pages ad, but don't now because it didn't really help their business. (Mostly people called through the list for price comparison, they said.) I'm not yet to the point where I could have a shop, so in-home repairs are all I can offer. At this point I am thinking that paying $10 per customer is about the most I would want to pay. That would mean that a simple yellow pages listing should bring in five customers a month. (The local phone book covers five cities.) Maybe I am being unrealistic on estimating advertising costs. 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
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