118118/118247

[bowleya]

Hi All

Recently been contacted by the salespeople at Yell and 118118 media offering there phone service i.e. we will transfer people who need a locksmith to you etc etc. I tried to explain to the yell that the 118247 service was the biggest rip off i have ever encountered, £400 for one call some three years ago. Two years ago i asked a similar question on this site about the amount of work lockies were actually getting and the feedback was that nobody was getting much work.
The rep explained that since the advertising campaign was started with James Nesbitt things had improved greatly.

So my question to you all is
a) has 118247 improved and are lockies getting much work or not ??
b) Is 118118 any better ??

[freakparade3]

I'm not in the UK so I don't know, but heres a link to a similar topic from awile back. Mabye it can help.

viewtopic.php?t=19320

[horsefeathers]

Nothing has changed - total waste of money. Nationals get their numbers offered first and always will as they spend so much.

Also included in this are UfindUs, Trade Verification Service, NoMoreCowboys etc etc

regards

[bowleya]

Cheers Horsfeathers

Knew it was too good to be True

[Bump]

It doesnt look as though the 118118 preferential listings are going ahead. They took my contract over 3 months ago, cheque never cashed nor direct debit started.

118247 load of crap! Still! Goes with Yell.com, Scoot, Ufindus, Touchlocal and a hundred other listings services.

[NickBristol]

Agree completely about 118 247 but at least have got free extra months of listings after complaining. I've only had 1 call a month from them but it's one extra job that pays for the advertising at least.

118 118 is actually pretty good for me, one job a week at least. Somehow I must have hit a keyword just right.

Ufindus seem to have got the hint and don't call anymore, but took threat of getting a solicitor involved to make them stop.

Scoot are a pile of poo and definitely the biggest waste of advertising budget I made last year.

[Shrub]

118 and ufindus need shooting,

I keep them on the phone now wasting their time as long as possable, leave it on speaker phone and carry on working,

They tell you how many calls they had for your area last month and every figure they tell me is differant to the last one by thousands,
They say they have over 30k calls last week from within a 2 mile radius of myself but they cant explain how theres only a population of my area a lot less than that,

[ponsaloti]

Used embarresment tactic, Ive got next year free on 118247, every time yp rep came into shop I had him ask for emergency auto locksmith in my area (with his speaker phone on). Im in essex, operator would sometimes give numbers as far as slough 50miles+, but very rarely would I come up. Ive tried complaining/ re-wording/ pleading poverty nothing changes. First 6 months rep said it was down to operator training, now he shrugs his shoulders and says he`s tried, hense next year free if I dont mention 118247 to him again.

[Bump]

118118 is prety good to me also and I was encouraged when they approached me with their preferential listing scheme. I get about 2 calls month from them from a free listing so a small investment seemed reasonable, howver, all has gone quite and they dont seem to have activated my direct debit.

Tried calling but all I get is an automated answer machine....maybe they couldnt get enough takers!

[toomush2drink]

118 118 is actually pretty good for me, one job a week at least. Somehow I must have hit a keyword just right.

So maybe it does work but maybe its the ads that are wrong. I understand some people dont do well from certain ads like ponsaloti but its not all down to the service as i do ok from my ads. Then again im 90% certain my ads are correct, are you ?

Hands up how many here take down data so you know which ads are working ? How many stop the non working ads and try a different ad ? How many have paid serious money to test their ads so they KNOW what works and what doesnt ? If your not sure if its working surely this is a waste of money ?
Would you continue to use a tool if you werent sure if it worked ?

You want to survive you need data, anyone can pick locks or have the latest shiney tool but it doesnt make the phone ring does it ? For instance i spend £10 per day on one form of advertising that i know works and it gives me a nice return on my investment (ROI).
Networking is another form of marketing, i have just submitted a nice invoice for work ive subbed this week from another lockie, not a national rip off.

Being a locksmith is one thing but running a business is a whole new ball park. Put your picks down and step into the business world for a bit and learn what you need to make your business grow. Invite and take harsh criticism of your adverts,website,phone ,manner etc and learn from it. How you think you come across and how others perceive how you come across are 2 different very important things.
Its easy to blame everything on the nationals but sometimes small changes to your own business can bring huge results if your brave enough to invite critic.

[bowleya]

good to know 118247 is still crap even if it is cheaper

118118 seems like it may be worth the effort but at £500 it is a gamble

Maybe i will try a local radio ad

[horsefeathers]

local radio ad? Dont do it!

I reckon 70% + of my customers are those in an 'emergency'. Locked out, or upvc door wont open/lock. When disaster strikes, most customers reach for YP or if locked out, a mobile directory service. Listening to the radio they ain't, and in a panic are they likely to remember your ad, that they may have heard (assuming that they listen to the station you advertise on). Dont waste your cash.

Just my advice, but maybe for some on here it works.

regards

[toomush2drink]

local radio ad? Dont do it!

I reckon 70% + of my customers are those in an 'emergency'. Locked out, or upvc door wont open/lock. When disaster strikes, most customers reach for YP or if locked out, a mobile directory service. Listening to the radio they ain't, and in a panic are they likely to remember your ad, that they may have heard (assuming that they listen to the station you advertise on). Dont waste your cash.

Just my advice, but maybe for some on here it works.

regards

How can you say dont waste your cash when you havent tested it ?

Ok 70% of your customers are emergency but thats obviously the market you target or benefit from. I do mainly hardening of crime targets or general locksmithing ie fitting locks etc so there is nothing to say a local radio campaign couldnt benefit my business or yours even. If you tried it and it worked then you have just increased your business so it seems silly to dismiss it so quickly without any hard facts it doesnt work.Its actually something im looking into in the future.If you were locked out and listened to the radio surely a catchy advert maybe still in your head ? If i said to you "your loving it" you would know straight away which fast food supplier i was talking about.
So many people make these basic mistakes and lose work left right and center because of it.Its like saying that food tastes horrible without even trying it first.
Sure you can ignore what im saying and it wont bother me in the slightest as i know the majority dont think like this which benefits me and keeps me busy.

[ponsaloti]

24 hour
emergency
24/7
car lock-outs
house lock-outs
burglary repair
board ups
police vetted
tried all of these and more, in different orders, no joy.

[toomush2drink]

That is only a small selection of keywords and a lot more probably are more useful. If you use matrixstats on your website you can soo n see how people find your site and more importantly what they searched for, its not always what you assume people search for. Google adwors is even more involved and has several tools that allow you to come up with alternative search terms.
I dont use any of the ones you listed in my ads as its not what people are searching for.

Remember things like "lock out" are a trade phrase, not a customer phrase.Getting your keywords right takes time and lots of testing but can work wonders with your ads, if you know what people are searching for you can tailor your ads towards them otherwise its just guessing and hoping it works. You then assume the ads doesnt work without any hard evidence when a slight change of keywords can make a huge difference. A change of 2 words on one of my ads increased my calls about 8 %.