Superpages.com Boosts National Presence With Georgia Sales Office
In a move to help provide online sales and support in each U.S. time zone, Idearc Media's Superpages.com opened a new national sales office in Alpharetta, Georgia, an Atlanta suburb. According to the release:
“We provide a wide-range of services to help small businesses compete online, and we have the expertise, service and partnerships in place to provide our clients with a single point of contact to handle it all,” said Darrin Rayner, vice president of online advertising sales and search marketing services for Superpages.com. “Alpharetta offers an excellent workforce, a vibrant business community and ranks high on the quality of life factors that are important to attract and retain good employees. It is a community that is a natural fit for us.”
The release also indicated Superpages.com would be adding industry sales veteran Jumaane Guess as the general sales manager overseeing the Alpharetta location. “Guess has held numerous sales and sales management positions at GTE and Verizon. In addition to managing the Alpharetta office, he continues to manage the sales channel that serves agencies and search engine marketers nationwide,” according to the release. This is a similar move to one made late last year when Superpages.com opened its Kirkland, Washington, office on the West Coast.
It's significant that this sales office is in the flagship market of the former BellSouth Advertising & Publishing, now absorbed into AT&T, which operates Superpages.com’s main rival, Yellowpages.com. A few years back, Idearc started a print directory in Atlanta but quickly pulled out of the highly competitive market.
Citysearch also operates in the Atlanta area, having recently opened its own telesales operation there. Being able to support local sales in this region either with a telesales group or a limited field sales team would provide a significant boost for Superpages.com in the east. This move may also signal a greater sales and marketing push for Superpages.com as it fights not only Yellowpages.com but also Yellowbook.com and others in the east.