irrelevant
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Didn't Scoot try this?
I remember when they first came out, thinking it was a usefull alternative to DQ, let you find a business by type. (pre 118 and the proliferation of companies) However they only ever seemed to offer you the advertisers whom had paid them, unless you said "no, who else if there locally?" They are still going it seems, though I've not tried using them for many years, and won't be doing on an 0900 50p/min number! Pay to find an advert?
I think you will find that most people dialing a 118 DQ service are after a particular company or individual, and won't take kindly to being automatically forwarded to someone else who has paid to head up the list. "Can I have the number for my Auntie Jane in Birmingham please?" "Connecting you to Auntie Annie's Pub Co. Ltd, London NW5, now.." (No idea who they are, I just did a name search for "auntie" on scoot, since it was still open!)
So.. if you don't offer the callers an unbiased comprehensive listing service, they are not going to use you to find a number - the first time you can't answer a query, or send them on a wild goose chase, they'll find someone else to ask, and probably stick with them for the next time.
And if you do offer a sensible service, how are you going to convince potential advertisers to pay you? What feature can you offer them that's worth paying for ovre and above the free listing you'll need to give everybody?
Me, I never pay to find a number.. there are plenty of web based enquiry systems out there when i'm at home, and the few times I've needed to find a number when out, I've managed using the (free) WAP on my phone..
Oh, and as for "only pay for the ad when your customer read [the ad]" I'd be bankrupt in no time!! Only pay when customers phone me would be better - this is exactly how pay-per-click advertising works on the web, and yes, when done right, it works well (just ask Google AdWords).
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