Tip for March 1, 2008

Give away a premium: The best premiums are those that help your visitor get their job done faster or better. They have a high perceived value, and cost you very little to reproduce. Information premiums have the highest perceived value and the lowest relative reproduction cost. Examples are reprints of articles, special reports, audio and video tapes, computer software, and books. Such premiums self-select your prime prospects, because they are of little use to the general public.

Tip for March 2, 2008

Guerrilla Thomas Kan got his Hong Kong internet marketing firm off to a quick start with advertising specialties. He sent out 3,000 promotional mouse pads just as he launched his company. Now he's getting lot's of calls. The promotion worked because of three things: the mousepads all had a phone number, he gave his pads away early and before most were thinking about the internet, and they were interesting enough to keep on a desk. If you think it might work for you and would like find some suppliers, check out our Vendors and Resources Directory for suppliers.

Tip for March 3, 2008

Personal advantage list: Make a list of benefits to the customer doing business with you. Make this a generous and comprehensive list. When compiling it, invite participation from key employees and customers. You may be offering benefits of which you are not personally aware. Focus on your primary benefit, but never neglect secondary benefits.

Tip for March 4, 2008

Telemarketing tip: Only 3% of people called sit through a computerized telemarketing call, 33% sit through a call from a live human being. Some 4% of people reached by telemarketing actually place an order. Figure the cost/return feasibility before starting a telemarketing campaign.

Tip for March 5, 2008

What did Penthouse know about the power of the press? According to the current Rolling Stone, before the first issue of Penthouse Magazine was even printed, entrepreneur Bob Guccione printed and mailed a four-color subscription brochure to members of the religious clergy throughout England. Why did he do this? Did he really think members of the clergy would subscribe to Penthouse? Of course not! Bob knew the power of controversy. The resulting outcry from pulpits throughout the land did more to publicize and promote Penthouse than Bob could have ever afforded, had he sent brochures to every mail in the country over the age of 18. Penthouse took off like a rocket because Bob knew how to get the press talking. Do you? If not, Guerrilla Publicity is a good start!

Tip for March 6, 2008

Using a Bonus to Increase Sales, Part 5 of 6 Note that the Sports Illustrated subscription bonus is a video, used to increase sales of a printed magazine. Basically, "new technology" is being used to sell an "old technology, paper-based" product. Lesson: are there ways you could harness new technology, i.e., MP-3 audio downloads, PDF files, web-based presentations, as a tool to sell your "older technology" products or services?

Tip for March 7, 2008

Always use real stamps. Your materials are much more likely to get through than with metered mail. Real Guerrillas use several stamps of smaller denominations.

Tip for March 8, 2008

Putting color to work in Mind Maps As Will Reed, from www.b-smart.com mentioned in a recent e-mail to me, many Mind Mapping software programs assign arbitrary colors as new branches are added. The result can be a "circus" of colors, decorative, but not informative. Instead, as Will mentions, change line, background, and text colors to indicate importance, sequence, category or importance.

Tip for March 9, 2008

What Do You Know? Guerrilla Roger C. Parker talks about education-based marketing. Although this concept isn't new, it is one that has been overshadowed by the old adage "It's not what you know, but who you know." For many years, I have worked with people, businesses, and organizations, helping them to understand that the key to a successful Marketing Plan really is "what" they know and how they communicate their knowledge to customers and prospects. For example, Magnolia Hi Fi, a Seattle-based consumer electronics company, spent many years "educating" their customers. This worked so well that they built up a huge repeat customer base. The reward? Two years ago, Best Buy purchased them for $87 Million Dollars! People want to be educated. They thrive on information. Yes, there will always be "shoppers" that are looking for the best price, but will those people be long-term, repeat customers? Possibly, but as a rule they are one-time buyers, looking for a deal. So, tell your clients what they need to know. Tell them how to use the information you have provided them with. Educate them, and they will turn to you as the "Expert" and a trusted resource for their needs. Educate them…and they will come to you!

Tip for March 10, 2008

Irrigating your market with information Farmers rarely flood their crops all at once. Instead, throughout the growing season, farmers irrigate their crops with just enough water to provide nutrients, but not so much they drown their crops or wash them away. In a similar way, Guerrilla Marketers deliver information in slow, but steady, increments. This “slow and steady” approach maintains their awareness among their market and also avoids delivering more information than the market can absorb at one time. Drip irrigation also allows you to build tighter bonds with clients and prospects. For example, instead of sending a newsletter entitled--for example--“The 10 Biggest Newsletter Marketing Mistakes,” consider sending a newsletter with “The 3 Biggest Newsletter Marketing Mistakes.” This could conclude with a reference to an autoresponder or e-mail address where those who want to learn the missing 7 points can go to learn more. This scenario also provides feedback on the popularity of the topic as well as which particular clients or prospects are interested in the topic.

Tip for March 11, 2008

Points to consider when choosing packaging: 1) Environmental issues 2) balancing function with appearance 3) Appropriateness for target market and position 4) Safety in opening 5) Legal requirements for export markets 6) Attachability of promotional material 7) Physical protection of product 8) Filling process required 9) Can the pack be handled within the company's production capabilities? 10) Hygiene 11) Graphics and labeling 12) Convenience in opening and resealing 13) Effectiveness in delivering the product to the consumer 14) Acceptance by the distribution network 15) package cost in relation to selling price.

Tip for March 12, 2008

Way of Guerrilla # 4: Stress is a benchmark Guerrilla Marketers do not accept stress as the price of doing business. They feel that stress is a warning sign that they must be doing something wrong. Adjustments are made to eliminate the cause of the stress, causing the stress to disappear. Adapted from: The Way of the Guerrilla, 1997.

Tip for March 13, 2008

Avoid "decorative" premiums Premiums help you establish lasting impressions with clients and prospects. However, strive for relevance when choosing premiums for distribution at trade shows or at holidays. Unless your humor is right on target, humorous premiums may fall flat. A much better alternative is to offer premiums that your market can really use. Functionality is always valued above humor.

Tip for March 14, 2008

Direct marketing reminders: Direct marketing is not just direct mail - it is also postcard decks, telemarketing, statement stuffers, catalogs, match books, direct response television, electronic bulletin boards, coupons in print media, dome shopping TV, direct response radio, inserts, and more. Use as many as you can.

Tip for March 15, 2008

Way of Guerrilla # 19: Guerrillas are organized at home and work Guerrilla Marketers do not waste valuable time looking for items that have been misplaced. Their sense of order is fueled by the efficiency that results from it. Guerrillas share their ability to organize with those who work with them. But, Guerrillas avoid "organization for the sake of organization." Adapted from: The Way of the Guerrilla, 1997

Tip for March 16, 2008

Why did owners of the Inc. 500 start their businesses? 29% said to create something new; 24% said to control my life; 14% said to make money; 14% said to be my own boss; 10% said to prove I could do it; 8% said frustration with a large-company employer; 1% said not rewarded; 1% said no advancement.

Tip for March 17, 2008

It's your story, stick with it Consistency of presentation is one of the best ways to establish the credibility you need to build customer confidence. The best way to be consistent is to develop an effective overall marketing message for your business and then stick with it. You may change the emphasis of your message to promote a particular product or service at various times, but the main message about what your company is and what you stand for should remain the same. It's a lot of work to build an online identity, and that work is wasted the minute your basic message varies.

Tip for March 18, 2008

How to reinforce what you've told the prospect Use visual aids on your sales calls. How about showing something? In this age of information, your prospects are accustomed to the reinforcement of the spoken word with visuals. Give your prospects what they need to know to choose your company for their staffing needs

Tip for March 19, 2008

Up to 90% of U.S. households have at least one family member engaged in crafts or hobbies. Needlework is first in popularity.

Tip for March 20, 2008

Keep foremost in their minds the truism that people give their business to firms that can help them solve their problems and exploit their opportunities.

Tip for March 21, 2008

Allowing customers to express themselves My local health club has a "Comments" box and a supply of forms for members to express their pleasure or their dissatisfaction about the facility. The form begins with a simple "triage" set of check-boxes which members can use as shorthand to express their present frame of mind. Options are: * Impressed * Surprised * A Bit annoyed * Very mad * Just wanted to suggest... These options help categorize comments, but, more important, encourage shorter responses. By providing me with a "Very mad" option, I was able to devote space to explaining the problem, rather than explaining how frustrated I was. In doing so, my anger began to dissipate as I wrote. Guerrillas always solicit feedback. Here's how to solicit it most efficiently.

Tip for March 22, 2008

Speedy delivery builds trust The quicker your customers can receive an order, the more they'll trust you. Build on the success of mail-order companies who offer next-day delivery for a few dollars more than their regular service. Explore the overnight delivery options available to you as well as the various international destinations where you might have to ship merchandise. If you ship small items, you should be able to offer one- or two-day delivery to most destinations at a cost that will please your customers and still maintain your profit margin.

Tip for March 23, 2008

How are they going to pay for this? You need to cater to the customers' payment preferences. Most Net merchants have a Visa/MasterCard merchant account with their bank. Some customers prefer to pay by check and overseas customers may have a variety of credit cards that will be more difficult for you to accept. If you're selling to businesses, you should accept purchase orders. There is also software that lets you accept and verify checks or debit cards on the Net. If you're doing a lot of business in Japan, you may want to add JCB cards to the list of credit cards you'll accept. As you add new payment options, be sure to get the word out. Each new payment option you offer should lead to a headline or banner announcement on your storefront.

Tip for March 24, 2008

When you listen carefully and show you sincerely want to understand, prospects will relax, talk freely, and later welcome your recommendations. All of us tend to give short incomplete answers. This is due to laziness or our belief that others don't care that much. Show that you care.

Tip for March 25, 2008

Acronyms conserve bandwidth Since time is the most precious commodity on the Net, anything you can do to conserve it for your readers will be appreciated. Using acronyms to shorten your messages saves your readers time, and it saves you time when creating the messages. Some common acronyms are: IMHO (In my humble opinion) IMNSHO (In my not-so-humble opinion) BTW (By the way) FWIW (For what it's worth) YMMV (Your mileage may vary; i.e., your experience may differ) RSVP (Reply, if you please; usually an invitation to a specific group member to respond to a point in a discussion group posting). A little experience in your favorite discussions will help you learn about more acronyms in common use. Just be careful not to make up acronyms on your own that nobody but you understands.

Tip for March 26, 2008

Words of Guerrilla Wisdom: Pay attention to who your customers are and why they are buying. Be inside the experience of your customers. Give them more than they expect.

Tip for March 27, 2008

Do I give my prospect control over the sales meeting? Am I the one giving over control by asking if everything is okay? Do I object when they want to buy? Do I point out a reason or two why they may not wish to buy right now. The Guerrilla Law of Candor says that when you do this they will be more eager to buy from you. And you'll be building customers for life.

Tip for March 28, 2008

Way of the Guerrilla # 1: The Journey is the goal As we approach the midpoint of the year, now is an appropriate time to review the 20 characteristics which differentiate Guerrilla Marketers from mere entrepreneurs. This, and the following dailies, are adapted from Jay's 1998 book, The Way of the Guerrilla, available online (used) and in many libraries. Guerrilla Marketers place the goal of a pleasant journey ahead of the mere notion of sacrifice. When the journey is the goal, you can begin with work that satisfies you, plus a remarkable freedom from work related stress. Unlike old fashioned enterprises, Guerrilla strategies do not require gigantic sacrifices.

Tip for March 29, 2008

Once again, less is more Yesterday, I described how a presenter reinforced every one of her points with a name of a client for whom the firm had provided the service. What was interesting, however, was that when she provided TWO client names, instead of one, she considerably weakened her presentation. Whereas the presence of a single case study reinforced the point, two client names not only cluttered the visual, weakening it by making it appear crowded and hard to read, but the two names competed with each other...and neither name emerged with any impact. One name prompts a case study. Two names encourages confusion. Points get mixed up, and the presentation begins to drag.

Tip for March 30, 2008

Many salespeople are strongly competitive and high-pressure. They're driven to outsell their comrades, the competition, and even themselves. They are often top producers. But their success is frequently short-lived, subject to the "paper match" syndrome, hot as hell, but quickly gone out. Because their style does not build the long-term customer loyalty that is so critical in guerrilla selling. Stop and listen more. You'll hear this advice frequently.

Tip for March 31, 2008

Why businesses advertise with newsletters? Among the reasons areincreased sales from current customers, maintaining contact with current customers, adding value to your services, locking down your niche, educating prospects, establishing expertise, saving selling time, spurring word-of-mouth referrals, networking through news, and staying in contact with the press. Two more guerrilla reasons: it's easier and it's more inexpensive than ever before.

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