If your company isn't listed in the fastest-growing business directory in Alberta, you're missing out. You're not on the same page with the people you most want to reach - your customers.

Because Phone Directories Co. (PDC) has made enormous strides since its introduction to the Southern Alberta market five years ago.

Want proof? Phone Directories Co. was able to boost its revenue by an astonishing 40 per cent during the last fiscal year.

"We are growing and growing and growing," enthused Amanda Leckie, the company's Calgary-based district director.

Phone Directories Company products are easily recognized by their eye-catching covers.

Why are so many business leaders and decision-makers turning to the PDC directory? Because this dynamic organization delivers big-time results on so many different fronts.

As Leckie correctly points out, Phone Directories Co. (it's the one with the exquisite Western painting on the cover) has made itself a critically important tool for every business office.

"We've done so many things to make our book more user friendly," she said.

Such as?

* Listing all businesses alphabetically (including postal codes) in the white section, which begins the book, an extra feature offered by PDC.

* Going to an easy-to-read, three-column page format.

* Adding maps, street names, guides to community events and festivals, even local restaurant information and menus.

An enormous amount of thought and effort has gone into the production of PDC's wonderful classified directory, which is so much more than just another phone book. It's all aimed at making life a little bit easier for the busy entrepreneurs, executives and decision-makers who play such an important role in making Calgary the dynamic city that it is.

"Why are we trying so hard?" Leckie posed the rhetorical question. "Because we want to encourage people to use our book."

And they do, in ever increasing numbers.



Meanwhile, when corporations purchase listings in the large yellow section at the back of the book, they're getting particularly strong value for their money.

Once again, the three-column format makes the section a pleasure to browse through.

And little extra touches, such as highlighted headings, help readers to easily find the information for which they are looking.

"It's a policy of ours to do up our display ads in fully processed colour. It happens automatically and there is no extra charge," Leckie pointed out.

And yet, on average, the cost of listing in PDC remains 40 to 60 per cent less expensive than any competitor.

"We really haven't implemented a price increase for as long as I can remember," she added. "Our policy is to offer a superior product for a fair price."

Interested customers are also urged to inquire about a variety of special services offered by PDC.

"I'm not saying we've created a better book than anybody else. That may be a matter of perception," Leckie restated her case. "But I am saying that we've done a really great job in creating a more competitive environment in southern Alberta."

Any business that deals directly with the public owes it to the bottom line to speak to Leckie and her people about a listing.

For those who remain unconvinced, Leckie issued a unique and refreshing challenge.

"As a business owner, it doesn't make sense to put 100 per cent of your advertising budget into a vehicle that can't offer a 100-per-cent return," she reasoned. "What we say is, put 70 per cent of your budget into our competitor's book and 30 per cent in ours ... then stand back and observe the kind of results we can provide with that 30 per cent."

PDC, meanwhile, prides itself on its aggressively proactive approach to customer service.

The PDC sales staff takes a consultative approach, planning to meet personally with every customer on a year-to-year basis. It's the only way to make sure that everyone's on the same page.

Leckie understands that, in recent years, some consumers have been confused by the emergence of new companies distributing classified directories.

As Leckie correctly points out, though, PDC has helped to break down the walls of an earlier day, when the business of classified directories was, in essence, a monopoly in Alberta.

"And a monopoly is never desirable," she argued. "If one company owned all the gas stations in town, how high would our prices be at the pump?" In that spirit, Leckie doesn't bear grudges against other public directories that have entered the field. In fact, she actively encourages customers to list with more than one directory.

But the numbers don't lie. PDC has taken this market by storm and its quality speaks for itself.

For more information, drop by the website at www.phonedir.com. And make it a point to contact one of Leckie's crack team of sales agents.

Call toll-free: 1.800.553.0801