they are willing to offer you. Sit back, listen, and wait for them to start offering deals. They most likely will offer you a discount off of a bigger ad program. You can take it from there.   How to Negotiate When You Are a New Client   When you are looking at becoming a new client and a sales rep comes knocking, again let your sales rep do his dog and pony show. Give him/her friendly nods and buying signs. The when your sales rep is done with their presentation let the sales rep know that youre interested, but not ready to make a decision and to contact you when the book is closing.   Typically your rep will not be working your account at that time and will want to close the sale now. Be very straightforward with your rep and tell them that it is common knowledge in the business community that they give discounts as incentives, and that if they want you to sign up now youll need the best discount or incentive that they can offer. If it is not 50% tell them that you will think about it and to contact you later.   Just keep asking for a bigger discount until they give it to you. If the sales rep you are dealing with now will not give a discount, wait until the last two weeks of the campaign and contact the sales office to talk with another sales rep.   Final Words Of Advice About Negotiating   It is important to remember that every Yellow Pages company operates differently in their discounting. Make sure that you have a plan of attack before you start negotiating. Set a goal as to what you want and dont just shoot from the hip. Call around to other advertisers that are not competing with you in your heading and ask them what type of discount they were offered. Use other business discounts as a baseline for negotiations. Your Yellow Pages sales rep desperately wants to sell you ad space. Use that leverage to your advantage.   Yellow Pages Resources   www.standoutdesign.com - Designs Yellow Pages ads www.max-effect.com/index.html- Designs Yellow Pages ads www.adfx.com/- Designs Yellow Pages ads www.yellowpageexperts.com/- Full service Yellow Pages company including design, competitive analysis, ad reviews, research studies etc. Foreign Yellow Pages - Go to www.Business.com and search for "Yellow Pages" www.commnetmarketing.com - National Yellow Pages account management www.yellowpagesprofit.com/- How-To manual and tips       Conclusion   Yellow Pages ads are critical to small businesses; however, they present a big risk as well. Make sure that you ad is critiqued by a direct response expert to ensure that it pulls