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VERY IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ
Tips on "How to avoid
advertising scams" in regard to your guest room directories.
Most directory publishers will furnish directories at no
charge to you if you trade out a room for their representatives for one
to two weeks. However, the area businesses pay for the advertising in
the directory. If a sales representative or publishing company is not
reputable and the directory is never printed, the businesses (your
friends and neighbors) lose their money. Unfortunately, this happens
frequently.
To avoid this situation, the following guidelines may
help:
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BEFORE you sign
a contract, ASK FOR REFERENCES
if they haven't already been furnished. Just because you may be
shown a directory does not mean that person or company actually
published it. A reputable company should furnish you a list of
references to begin with. Check out a few of them.
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BEWARE of an
individual with no company backing. A one-person company cannot,
with few exceptions, handle the job. You need marketers, billing
clerks, typesetters, print facilities and office staff to answer the
phone and handle your questions or problems. Some of the typesetting
and printing can be jobbed out, but in most instances there has to
be a staff of some size to handle the day-to-day operations, not
just a sales person taking money. Even an honest person can get into
trouble because they spend the money and then when it comes time to
print, the money is gone! Call their business phone number. If it is
during normal business hours and no one answers or you get an
answering machine, get more information. This could be a warning
signal.
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BECAUSE the
party involved, in some instances when a directory is NOT delivered
as promised, is a former salesperson from a reputable firm, this
person may be aware of the workings of the company and may use their
directories as samples, etc. But that's where the similarities end.
If you are approached in person by someone wanting to work your
property, call the business phone number on the contract and verify
that they are legitimate. They may tell you they used to work for a
certain company, but now they have taken it over or started their
own company. Really? Taking a few minutes to
verify information is crucial.
Please help us protect your neighbors' advertising
dollars. I'm sure they will appreciate it and they should be more
willing to support you and your business in the future.
This site was last updated
04/12/07
This website designed by
Robert Beddow
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