Yellow Page and Print Ads

A reader contacted me this week with a question about placing an ad in the print yellow pages in his area. Here is his question and my response and I will also expound on the topic.

The question:

It's [redacted] from [redacted]. If you remember I have an exotic dancer booking agency. I had a quick question. I'd like to get your opinion on yellow page advertisements. I know in your book you suggest it and say its still going good, I know things can change a lot in a few years. Do you still suggest advertising in the book as of 2013-2014 , I can currently get a one inch color ad for $600 for the year. I have only 5 days tonight for the deadline, everybody I talk to is very much so against it and I do a lot of research and it seems a majority of advertisers say they wasted their money last year on the phone book. Do you think that the adult entertainment sector has more people searching for it than other services?

I have only several days to the deadline, and your opinion will be considered more than anybody else's at this point. Thank you.

The response:

Unless your market is L.A. or NYC, I still recommend yellow page listings. Is there a bold-print one-line ad available for less? A bold print in red would be even better.

There is still a segment of the population that will look for entertainers / escorts in the yellow pages, especially the over 60 crowd. I used to have some elderly clients that called regularly that were never interested in tech and I know for sure there are still lots of people like this out there. Hell, I still look in the yellow pages if I want a carpet cleaner or mechanic or maid service as there are too many fly-by-night services online.

Do you also offer the costumed striptease service? Like a stripper-gram for a birthday, retirement party etc...? That sort of service alone is worthy of its own red bold print one-line ad. Today you won't make a $million off it, but your business should have a presence in print. If you gave it a line of its own, you'd see the results, but I'm sure you'll get your money back and make something from a bold print ad anyway.

I believe the yellow pages says stability, quality, safe, accountable... and then there are the issues with online advertising for adult business being under attack by State Attorneys General all over the country. Are the people you're asking in your age group? I don't know your age [redacted], but would guess late 20s or early 30s and this group will not look at yellow pages, so you're correct with that. But the bored 70 or 80 year-old with his retirement income will, especially if he has had a negative experience online in past. And I am 53 - still look in the yellow pages for most services.

What I forgot to say...

Sometimes I assume that readers of my Blueprint books see the Blueprint Updates links here and on my website, but that depends where and how they found the book to begin with. I do have a short update on print ads on the Advertising page of the updates and really it is consistent with my response here:

Blueprint Updates: Advertising

However, the updates have not been updated for over a year now. I still feel the same on the topic of a print yellow pages ad, but only recommend a bold print one-line listing, preferably in red. This type of listing doesn't cost that much.

Another point that I should have made to my reader is that many of the yellow pages advertisers in other markets that he checked with may not have a clue if a customer originally found them in the yellow pages or not. When I am looking for a service in the print book, which I usually do, I then search for that business online. I figure everyone has a website even if it is not included in their small print ad and if they do not have a website where I can find more information, I do not use their service anyway.

So while a website is a must today for any business anywhere, I still feel that a small ad in the yellow pages print book that's widely distributed in your target area is necessary. Consider that the potential customer will Google your business name and/or your telephone number to find more information.

Are You Awake Yet

Have you been operating your escort business in the sunshine as advised in the book? I sure hope so. The only reason that I still exist is because I never make any statement anywhere that I couldn't explain to a jury if I had to one day.

Someone - one of those many that wanted a consultation with me recently - stated that my case was irrelevant today. Actually it is more relevant than it has ever been. I suffered through many years of illegal surveillance and harassment by an agency that would do absolutely anything to get rid of me, yet I prevailed. So diss my Blueprint books if you like, but thanks to Edward Snowden and WikiLeaks, I am finally vindicated in all that I stated.

We live in a surveillance state. This applies even if you're in Canada or the UK or anywhere else in the world or that matter. The US spies on everyone, specially anyone that could potentially be engaged in what they consider criminal activity, which has been revealed to be everyone. National security never had anything to do with it.

I was reading a doc over on the Cryptome website a few days ago about the DEA Hemisphere program. It's a slideshow PDF and refers to any calls that go through AT&T switches. Do realize that this does not mean AT&T alone - as much of the world's telephone traffic passes through AT&T at one point or another. If your wireless phone from Sprint or Verizon is roaming, it may be on the AT&T network - you'd never know. Anyway, it's an interesting read:

DEA Hemisphere Telephone Call Database

In another country and think you're safe from the NSA and the many agencies it passes information to? Think again. These people tap the internet backbone and look at the many countries that cooperate with them:

NSA has Snoop Deals with Foreign ISPs

Think that this doesn't apply to you? There are so many documents to read that I won't even begin to compile a list - Cryptome and WikiLeaks Spy Files do though. You will find a treasure trove of documents on both - so get started with your reading!

From a Reuters News article dated 6 September 2013:

In a statement on Friday, the Office of the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, which said it was speaking on behalf of all U.S. spy agencies, did not confirm details of the media reports.

The statement did acknowledge that the U.S. intelligence community "would not be doing its job" if it did not try to counter the use of encryption by such adversaries as "terrorists, cybercriminals, human traffickers and others."

 Read the article: US spy agencies decry latest Snowden revelations

Special attention to the "and others" part of that statement because it means you and me. They have had a backdoor into any and all of your online communications for years, including your bank account info. Nothing that is done online is private, so think about everything that you do online, even when you believed the transaction and/or visit to be private and/or secure.

I have been stating all of this for many years. If you paid attention, well, good for you. If you mocked me, well, be concerned, but more important, implement changes and do things differently from this moment forward. Personally, I believe they've been working on ruining the internet for all of us for years. Get your house in order before it's too late.

Are you awake yet? 

On the Topic of Consultations

I have received so many requests for consultations the last few months, yet have not had a single consult with anyone. In that respect, this is a necessary post and you'll know why by the time it's finished. In all honesty, I did not expect a single request to actually result in a consult anyway because they all read like pure BS.

I believe that more often than not, it's angry law enforcement officers and/or related to the Paul Bergrin case, which I have blogged on relentlessly for some time now, but am now done with. If I had to take a wild guess, I'd say that 9 out of 10 requests are related to the above two groups; perhaps even 10 of 10. Is that crazy or what? I consider it to be so. Too many people with far too much time on their hands while claiming to be public servants.

Some of the most absurd statements and consultation requests are moved to the "abuse" folder and others are deleted. Sometimes, when the message is cloudy, I'll respond and include instructions for payment and a link to my consultation page outlining what specifically I offer and how it works. For your own information, here is a link to that page:

Consultant Services

There is a reason behind every statement made on that page. If you clearly have not read either Blueprint for an Escort Service or Complete Blueprint for an Escort Service, you'll need to pay for the Platinum package or the Max package. Obviously the reason for this is that I will be reading much of my book to you on the telephone, so one hour just ain't going to cut it. Really I have no clue why anyone that skipped reading one of those books would even want a consultation with me. Makes no sense whatsoever.

But I have no issue with reading one of the books to you over the phone. Payment is required in advance, of course.

And then there are the requests that I call you by dialing a number on your linked explicit website to schedule a consultation. Why anyone would consider me to be that desperate and/or stupid, I can't even imagine. Me calling you is a consultation and how in the hell would I know if that's your website or not? Duh.

But one of the most absurd sort of requests that I have had on occasion and as recent as last week is the federal inmate that sends me a Corrlinks request. I accept all such requests, well, because I am a nice person and have no clue what they want, but when the first email the inmate sends is a thank-you for agreeing to consult with him about opening an escort service in BOP email, well, expect to get blasted. I didn't agree to crap and only a total moron would ever consult on such a subject via BOP email.

This is what I get for being nice to people. Far too many, especially in LE, do not comprehend that kindness does not equal stupidity. In the last situation described, I responded not only with a blast, but also instructions to inform his handler that no one, let alone me, is that dumb. All informants have handlers. I will tell you that in short time and on the same day, I received a hang-up call from a Miami telephone number on my personal telephone number and that inmate had stated that he was from Miami. His release date in the BOP inmate locator was in 2017. No one should know my personal phone number anyway unless I give it to them and only a few friends have it. Some idiot looking for his next 5K1 or Rule 35 victim. Another duh.

Most recently - like yesterday - I received an extremely lengthy email from someone telling me all the steps he'd made towards opening and operating a service and not even one of those steps is anything close to what I recommend in either book. The party claimed to need a free consultation because he'd spent all his money on attorney consults and non-existent start-up costs, hiring bodyguards, and drivers and on and on and on... I couldn't make this stuff up people. I almost responded by asking him if his email was a joke, but decided to just move the email to that "abuse" folder instead. 

I have responded to numerous emails by asking if it was some weird joke lately - they seem to be rolling out of the closet (or coming out of the woodwork) these days, but I really can't get beyond anyone actually thinking I'm that level of stupid.

And then there are the people that email me attempting to change my mind about various things stated in the book and requesting a consultation at the same time. Of course each wants to know how to pay me immediately so that consult can be scheduled ASAP. Of course no money is ever sent to the method I state as the only way to pay me. Of course they email many more times trying desperately to convince me how wrong I am on specific topics. Right.

My books are what I think and nothing anyone could state will ever change my mind. And really who cares anyway? As with any book advising on business, it's up to you to take what you need and leave the rest. Whether you follow any or all of my advice is in the category of not my problem or none of my business. But I make this statement knowing that it is not real people contacting me with questionable lengthy emails. It is LE dumb enough to think they could succeed in prosecuting me for publishing books about opening and operating a legitimate service. The specific wording in statements reveals that much.

Like I already stated, I believe that at least 9 out of 10 of these requests are law enforcement / prosecutor / investigator related. For whatever strange reasoning, these dolts actually think I fell off a turnip truck somewhere in Idaho yesterday. Just crazy.

At least now I can simply respond with a link to this post. *smile*