Page ad headlined, “Parting with a Home? Let Us Help the Transition to Your New One.” If I didn’t know better, I would have said they could read my mind. I almost plunged for the kitchen phone and called the number in the ad. I now had a moving date for the following week and was thrilled. As I turned to thank the fellow, it danced out the front door saying, “Just remember it was Wolley Segap to the rescue.” And he was gone. The end… or is it?

This little story was designed to serve a purpose and illustrate the need for effective advertising. So, attention business people:

I loved the old gal, but every good relationship has to come to an end. We had been together almost 20 years, but it was time to move on. When we first met, she had been perfect. She had a great foundation with classic lines, sturdy, yet inviting, friendly, and warm. She provided every comfort a man could want. Sure, we had been through many changes and she had only improved with age. Even though everything around us morphed and grew, we always had each other. I offered new fashions to dress her up and the latest, state-of-the-art gifts, which she easily absorbed and included in our routine. But I was aging.

It wasn’t her fault. We were growing apart because of it. No longer could I easily reach the upper limits of her structure. My legs were failing and my health diminished. She could appear more youthful with a fresh look or upgrades. But I couldn’t be transformed so easily. So, one day, I had to face the inevitable. I would be forced to abandon her and seek a new, albeit, more beneficial situation that would suit me needs. A single story home.

So I hired a real estate agent and eventually found the perfect place. Perhaps not as perfect as my present abode, but it would serve my purpose. It was smaller, with a tiny yard and less upkeep. They also helped sell my existing house and now I faced my biggest challenge. I had to move. It would be painful and yet, exciting, all at once. The painful part would include finding an ideal mover. But who?

I flipped through the phone book, recognizing many of the national brands. They all said things like, “Dependable,” or “Economical,” or “Free Estimates.” That was all well and good, but I was leaving the most dependable friend I had known for the past 20 years. Where was the love and the compassion? Every ad had a photo of a truck, with just made it worse. Of course they had trucks: would they have moved me with bicycles? I sat, somewhat disgusted and discouraged, at the kitchen counter and thought of the past two decades of memories and was somewhat saddened.

That is until “it” came dancing into the living room. It took the form of a huge prancing Yellow Pages with spindly legs. I was startled to see it could also speak. “Don’t be sad, I’m here to help, it piped up, “Check this out.” And it opened down the middle to reveal a large Yellow Page ad headlined, “Parting with a Home? Let Us Help the Transition to Your New One.” If I didn’t know better, I would have said they could read my mind. I almost plunged for the kitchen phone and called the number in the ad. I now had a moving date for the following week and was thrilled. As I turned to thank the fellow, it danced out the front door saying, “Just remember it was Wolley Segap to the rescue.” And he was gone. The end… or is it?

This little story was designed to serve a purpose and illustrate the need for effective advertising. So, attention business people:

our routine. But I was aging.

It wasn’t her fault. We were growing apart because of it. No longer could I easily reach the upper limits of her structure. My legs were failing and my health diminished. She could appear more youthful with a fresh look or upgrades. But I couldn’t be transformed so easily. So, one day, I had to face the inevitable. I would be forced to abandon her and seek a new, albeit, more beneficial situation that would suit me needs. A single story home.

So I hired a real estate agent and eventually found the perfect place. Perhaps not as perfect as my present abode, but it would serve my purpose. It was smaller, with a tiny yard and less upkeep. They also helped sell my existing house and now I faced my biggest challenge. I had to move. It would be painful and yet, exciting, all at once. The painful part would include finding an ideal mover. But who?

I flipped through the phone book, recognizing many of the national brands. They all said things like, “Dependable,” or “Economical,” or “Free Estimates.” That was all well and good, but I was leaving the most dependable friend I had known for the past 20 years. Where was the love and the compassion? Every ad had a photo of a truck, with just made it worse. Of course they had trucks: would they have moved me with bicycles? I sat, somewhat disgusted and discouraged, at the kitchen counter and thought of the past two decades of memories and was somewhat saddened.

That is until “it” came dancing into the living room. It took the form of a huge prancing Yellow Pages with spindly legs. I was startled to see it could also speak. “Don’t be sad, I’m here to help, it piped up, “Check this out.” And it opened down the middle to reveal a large Yellow Page ad headlined, “Parting with a Home? Let Us Help the Transition to Your New One.” If I didn’t know better, I would have said they could read my mind. I almost plunged for the kitchen phone and called the number in the ad. I now had a moving date for the following week and was thrilled. As I turned to thank the fellow, it danced out the front door saying, “Just remember it was Wolley Segap to the rescue.” And he was gone. The end… or is it?

This little story was designed to serve a purpose and illustrate the need for effective advertising. So, attention business people:

my present abode, but it would serve my purpose. It was smaller, with a tiny yard and less upkeep. They also helped sell my existing house and now I faced my biggest challenge. I had to move. It would be painful and yet, exciting, all at once. The painful part would include finding an ideal mover. But who?

I flipped through the phone book, recognizing many of the national brands. They all said things like, “Dependable,” or “Economical,” or “Free Estimates.” That was all well and good, but I was leaving the most dependable friend I had known for the past 20 years. Where was the love and the compassion? Every ad had a photo of a truck, with just made it worse. Of course they had trucks: would they have moved me with bicycles? I sat, somewhat disgusted and discouraged, at the kitchen counter and thought of the past two decades of memories and was somewhat saddened.

That is until “it” came dancing into the living room. It took the form of a huge prancing Yellow Pages with spindly legs. I was startled to see it could also speak. “Don’t be sad, I’m here to help, it piped up, “Check this out.” And it opened down the middle to reveal a large Yellow Page ad headlined, “Parting with a Home? Let Us Help the Transition to Your New One.” If I didn’t know better, I would have said they could read my mind. I almost plunged for the kitchen phone and called the number in the ad. I now had a moving date for the following week and was thrilled. As I turned to thank the fellow, it danced out the front door saying, “Just remember it was Wolley Segap to the rescue.” And he was gone. The end… or is it?

This little story was designed to serve a purpose and illustrate the need for effective advertising. So, attention business people:

the love and the compassion? Every ad had a photo of a truck, with just made it worse. Of course they had trucks: would they have moved me with bicycles? I sat, somewhat disgusted and discouraged, at the kitchen counter and thought of the past two decades of memories and was somewhat saddened.

That is until “it” came dancing into the living room. It took the form of a huge prancing Yellow Pages with spindly legs. I was startled to see it could also speak. “Don’t be sad, I’m here to help, it piped up, “Check this out.” And it opened down the middle to reveal a large Yellow Page ad headlined, “Parting with a Home? Let Us Help the Transition to Your New One.” If I didn’t know better, I would have said they could read my mind. I almost plunged for the kitchen phone and called the number in the ad. I now had a moving date for the following week and was thrilled. As I turned to thank the fellow, it danced out the front door saying, “Just remember it was Wolley Segap to the rescue.” And he was gone. The end… or is it?

This little story was designed to serve a purpose and illustrate the need for effective advertising. So, attention business people:

Page ad headlined, “Parting with a Home? Let Us Help the Transition to Your New One.” If I didn’t know better, I would have said they could read my mind. I almost plunged for the kitchen phone and called the number in the ad. I now had a moving date for the following week and was thrilled. As I turned to thank the fellow, it danced out the front door saying, “Just remember it was Wolley Segap to the rescue.” And he was gone. The end… or is it?

This little story was designed to serve a purpose and illustrate the need for effective advertising. So, attention business people: Is your Yellow Page ad doing its job? If not, let this serve as your wake-up call. I’ve witnessed many companies that thought they had an ad that worked, while, in reality, it had a flawed headline, lousy copy, or pathetic artwork. How do I know?

I was a YP rep and consultant for nearly 25 years and, prior to that, had my own advertising agency. I also have a degree in marketing. I’ve been designing Yellow Page ads for the past three decades. So I have expertise in YP creation and have advised almost 7000 companies on how to put together the most effective YP ads. If you have a display or in-column ad, regardless of size, color or position, I can tell you it most probably needs improvement in the headline, artwork, body text, placement, book, or heading. You must understand the ROI or return on investment and learn how to track the results as well.

So consider getting some expert advice before you place your next ad. There are many good and inexpensive places to turn, some available on the internet. Make sure the consultant is well qualified with at least 25 years experience. Otherwise, you’ll be wasting your own time and money. Then, hopefully, you wont’ really need Wolley Segap coming to the rescue after all.