Okay, quit snickering. You likely think the yellow pages are old school. Well, they are. When is the last time you looked in a yellow pages directory? Do you even have one? Though the day of the once revered yellow pages is long past, it’s not dead. Believe it or not, some people still use the yellow pages. If they want to find a telephone answering service and consult the yellow pages, will they find you? If you’re not listed, you’ll never get their call. You’ve just lost a sale. That’s why you want to be in the yellow pages. Yes, the days of large, expensive display ads are gone. There’s no need to standout with a full-page color ad. But you don’t want to be absent either. In most cases a basic listing is all you need, just a placeholder so people can find you. To be aggressive, make it bold. And if you have ad dollars to burn, go with a small in-column listing or display ad. Just kidding. Stick with a basic listing. Here are some considerations: Your Local Directory: First you should have a basic listing in your local yellow pages directory (the city where your answering service is physically located). Some people prefer to use a local vendor, and they’re likely the folks who still use the yellow pages. You don’t need to be big, but you need to be there. Significant Markets: Next consider markets that are important to you. These might be geographically adjacent or quite a ways away. The point is, if you have clients in those markets or are targeting those markets, it’s wise to support your efforts with a yellow pages presence. Open Markets: Last, look for yellow page directories that have no telephone answering service listings or maybe just one (after all, they may not renew their listing next year). For a few dollars a month, you could be the only listing in that book. It will only take one sale to pay for itself. True, advertising in the yellow pages is passé. People may laugh at you, but the yellow page diehards will find you and hire you. Isn’t that the goal? Janet Livingston is the president of Call Center Sales Pro, a premier sales and marketing service provider for the call center and telephone answering service industry. Contact Janet at contactus@callcenter-salespro.com or call 800-901-7706. Peter DeHaan is a freelance writer from Southwest Michigan and a longtime member of the TAS industry.