by Michael Dorausch
I’ve been meaning to post a photograph one of my chiropractic assistants took when phone books arrived at my ADIO Chiropractic office (in LA) earlier this year.
Being in a major metro area like Los Angeles results in a bunch of phone book companies competing for local business. There are four different major phone books that arrive at our office over about a three-month period. Each company is hoping you’ll toss away the others books and keep theirs. The truth is we throw away all phone books that show up at our business (and my home) and have done so for least the past four years. You’ll be happy to know these went into a recycle bin but it’s a major waste of paper and plastic just having these things made. As a side note, someone let me know if there is a way to keep these companies from delivering books.
What in the world would we need a phone book for? Phone book marketers think they have all the answers but my experience has been quite different. I believe, the staff of my chiropractic office is more Internet savvy than most, and as the result we use the net constantly, removing the need entirely for phone books. We also have computer terminals our patients can use to get information online when they need it.
We’ve also removed 100% of our chiropractic advertising in all phone books around the Los Angeles area. Phonebook representatives would say we’re crazy. One called my office just a few days ago after we declined to renew and said “management felt it would be in your best interest to continue advertising.” His logic was that if we were no longer advertising in the phonebook people would naturally assume we’ve gone out of business. My experience has shown that what people are doing is going to the Internet even if you are listed in the phone book. They want to know that you are not some kind of nut ball so they’ll do some “research” before calling.
If you are a local business owner in Los Angeles and you are advertising in the phonebook, know that I’m not calling you unless I can find your information online.
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