by John Botscharow
We've talked about what makes a guerrilla marketing plan last week. today let's talk about the personality traits of a guerrilla marketer. And rest assured that you do not need to be born with these traits. You can learn them. As one of my favorite motivational writers of all time, Napoleon Hill, said: "There are no limitations to the mind except those we acknowledge...Both poverty and riches are the offspring of thought." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A side bar here: If you do not spend a little time every week, if not every day, doing some sort of motivational "reading," then let me suggest that you start. Your subconscious mind is so inundated with "garbage" every day, you need to put some good stuff in to counteract the negative. Like they say, "Garbage in, garbage out." You cannot be a great guerrilla marketer if you only spout the same garbage that you soak up subconsciously ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The first and most important trait of a guerrilla marketer is patience. As many of you probably know and have had repeated at you many times, your prospects will not buy on the first visit or first contact. To be a great marketer, you must be patient with your prospects. There are a number of studies on this subject. One of the most interesting says that for every three times your prospect sees your message, they only actually pay attention two of those three times. Patience is tied in very closely with the second personality trait you must develop: commitment. You must make a commitment to your prospects and customers. You must get involved with them. They come first! Their dreams must be your dreams! You must help them realize those dreams! You must make a commitment to your marketing plan, no matter what your family, friends, employees tell you, no matter how bored you are with the daily routine of carrying out your marketing plan, stick with it. Be committed! Be patient! There can't be one without the other. The reason most people fail on the Internet - or in any business - is a lack of commitment and a lack of patience! But that patience and commitment must be matched by a strong imagination. Not just imaginative copy writing or imaginative web design, but you must be imaginative in everything you do. For instance, Jay Conrad Levinson, the man who developed guerrilla marketing into a true marketing system, tells the story of a guerrilla marketer who mailed a letter requiring 32 cents postage. He put 11 stamps on that letter: one 6 cent stamp, three 4 cent stamps, a 3 cent stamp, and 6 two cent stamps. No postage meter or Stamps.com for him! Which letter would you open first? The metered one or the one with the eleven stamps on it? This imagination must include the ability to be flexible and "convenient." What I mean by that is, although you are committed to your strategy, you must be flexible in your tactics and the weapons you choose. A great guerrilla marketer is not locked in on how he implements his marketing strategy. Nor can she be locked in on how she handles her prospects and customers. Be flexible! Make it as convenient as you can for your prospects to do business with you! Make exceptions! Break the rules! The prospect comes first always! In order to do that, you must have sensitivity. You must be sensitive to what your prospect needs. Read between the lines. You must be sensitive to what your competition is doing. Another one of Jay's great stories involves a guerrilla furniture store owner in a shopping mall. The stores to either side of him had big clearance sales going on. Each store had a huge banner over their respective entrances touting their sales. The guerrilla put a sign over his door that simply said, "Enter Here." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Another side bar: Your sensitivity should not be limited just to your prospects, customers, and competitors. Expand your sensitivity to include your communities and the economy. Economic trends will help you determine which tactics and weapons will be most effective. And sensitivity to your communities will help your identity as someone who is committed and involved. Some time I will do an article about the marketing benefits that resulted from my commitment to the whole Spam issue!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The next two characteristics of a guerrilla marketer go hand -in-hand. They are ego strength and aggressiveness. Ego strength is not egotism. Rather it is the quiet confidence that comes from knowing who you are really and living that self - having an identity rather than an image. It is this ego strength that makes commitment possible. The aggressiveness of a guerrilla is not the stereotype used-car salesman aggressiveness. Rather it is the aggressiveness that makes a marketer do the extra-ordinary to get and keep customers. It is the giving of more value than any of your competitors. It is the willingness to "go the extra mile" for your prospect. It is following up with your customers regularly, offering them more and more value - more and more reasons to stay loyal to you! This aggressiveness is best used in combination with the next characteristic, which we've hinted at already. A guerrilla has generosity. There is a testimonial on our web site that one of you sent to me which says, "Thank you for your time and generosity." It means we went beyond normal expectations and gave value beyond what the monetary compensation demanded. Testimonials like that are what keeps us going day to day!!! The next to last trait is my personal favorite. Don't ever
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tricks." To be a great guerrilla marketer you have to be engaged in constant learning, especially on the Internet, where things change so rapidly. I'm 52 years old, have several degrees, but these last six months have been more of an learning experience than all eight years I spent in college and graduate school. Just writing these articles has been an education. Never stop learning. The last characteristic is probably the hardest for most of us. I know it is for me. As a guerrilla marketer, you must take action. All of the above characteristics are useless if you do not put them in action. Not only do you have to "talk the talk," you must "walk the walk." One final note: a great guerrilla marketer is not necessarily born. She can be self-made! Do an honest self-analysis. Which of these characteristics are your strong points? Which are the weak points? Concentrate on improving those that need work. You can be a great guerrilla. You just need to take action. If you need any help or morale boosting or advice, feel free to write me at mailto:john@3r-marketing.com. My in box is always open to you! About the Author
John Botscharow is editor of the Web Guerrilla Journal and the R
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believe the old saw that "you can't teach an old dog new
Market Daily. He is also one of the partners in 3 R Marketing.
Visit them at http://www.3r-marketing.com and subscribe to one
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