Tip for April 1, 2004

Savvy retailers wait at least one month before having their grand openings. If they don't wait, customers will come flocking in to become acquainted with untrained salespeople, poorly stocked shelves, slow delivery times, clumsy sales procedures and messy surroundings. Polish these items to perfection before your grand opening or it won't be so grand. Guerrillas are rarely in hurry.

Tip for April 2, 2004

Guerrillas opt for quality and economy every time. Timing also refers to tying in with the news of the moment, with what's on your prospect's minds, and with what your competitors are doing.

Tip for April 3, 2004

Offer opportunities to upgrade. Any type of business can find simple ways to enlarge the size of the purchase. Offer an additional product with the purchase at a steep discount.

Tip for April 4, 2004

How not to treat your best customers Several times I've mentioned the growth of photographic magazines specializing in niche markets, i.e., black and white photography. Last week, I noticed that the latest issue of a publication I subscribed to was on display at the local Barnes & Noble. Curious as to why I hadn't received my copy, I called them and asked if my subscription had expired. "No," the very polite individual on the other end responded. We're just late sending the subscriptions out. We put them in the mail today." Which means that those who pay in advance for the publication, providing upfront cash-flow stability and justification for advertising rates, have to wait longer than casual, one-time purchasers at a bookstore. The episode didn't please me too much. But, what's really important is this: "What similar mistakes are we al guilty of, when we inadvertently penalize our best customers in order to attract new business from less loyal sources?"

Tip for April 5, 2004

Define your business in terms of markets and benefits, not services When someone asks: "What do you do?," the temptation is to describe the product or service you offer. That's understandable, because you're so close to the product or service you offer. The problem is, this leads to weak answers, i.e.: "I'm a marketing consultant that teaches firms how to market their services using newsletters." However, a better alternative is to couch your expertise in specific terms, i.e.: "I help veterinarians and other professionals cut marketing costs and retain their best clients." If you're a veterinarian, which of the above two answers would you be more likely to respond positively to?

Tip for April 6, 2004

Choose an appropriate e-mail address Prospects rely on numerous subtle details to judge your competence and attention to detail. Before you even open your mouth, your prospect will be evaluating you by analyzing small details, like e-mail addresses. These can tell a lot about you. Be especially careful if you are selling relatively high-priced professional products and services, but are using a free e-mail address, i.e., a Hotmail or Yahoo, etc. It's hard to take a Mercedes-Benz salesperson carefully after glancing at their card and seeing a free e-mail address, especially a humorous or "cute" e-mail address.

Tip for April 7, 2004

The power of redundancy Jumbo jets, like Boeing 747's, rely on multiple levels of redundancy. There are backups to the backups to the backups. There have been cases where a 747 has safely landed using the seventh level of redundancy, i.e., the first six systems failed, and the planeload of passengers lives were saved by the seventh system. Which brings us to the question of e-mail access. Given the importance of daily--even hourly, perhaps--e-mail access, have you built redundancy into your system? How many ways do you have to access your e-mail? If your cable modem goes down, for example, can you quickly switch to a dial-up connection? If your primary e-mail provider is down, can you access your e-mail through another service? Guerrillas with just one way to access their e-mail might want to explore setting up a low-cost back-up alternative, "just in case."

Tip for April 8, 2004

Updating your own web site (without learning HTML) The Internet continues to become more and more Guerrilla friendly. The latest advance is a Macromedia program called Contribute 2. Contribute 2 is not a web authoring program. You'll still use programs like Dreamweaver or Front Page to set up your initial site, and you'll probably want the services of a web designer to set up a pleasing layout and color selection. But, after that, you can be on your own. Contribute 2 allows you to edit existing web pages and create additional pages to your web site. If you can operate Microsoft Word, you can save money and avoid delays by making your own routine web site updates.

Tip for April 9, 2004

Rethinking proposal length Each year, Guerrillas waste tens of thousands of hours preparing proposals that fail miserably. In many cases, the prospects don't take the time to read them, or the proposals fail to win acceptance. Often, while failing to get the business, proposals inadvertently give away valuable information. The solution is to be found in Patrick G. Riley's book, "The One-Page Proposal." Riley shows how, on one side of a single sheet of paper, it is possible to sell even the most complex proposal if you a) think before writing and b) carefully choose your words on the basis of their selling power. The One-Page Proposal is yet another case of "less is more."

Tip for April 10, 2004

What's the only thing that's better than an autoresponder? Autoresponders generate e-mail that's sent upon receipt of a "trigger" like an information request or notification of a sale. Autoresponders permit hands-off marketing. They instantly respond 24/7 to information requests from web site visitors while their interest is at its peak. So, what can be better? Answer: an "autoresponder series." Autoresponders can be set up to follow each other at timed intervals, such as 24 or 48 hours, 1 week, or a month after sending the first e-mail. "One-touch marketing" rarely succeeds in this busy world. Your initial response may get lost in other e-mails. A series, however, provides the repetition needed to break through your prospect's indifference and initiate a favorable response.

Tip for April 11, 2004

Writing to length forces better writing Want to teach yourself to write more effective marketing communications? One of the easiest and most effective techniques is to restrict your marketing communications to a limited amount of space (or number of words). You write better when space is limited. You quickly learn to spot unnecessary, often repetitious, words, or long words that you can replace with short words. By writing "close to the bone," you write better because you focus on making every word sell. Soon, your writing will develop a tight, information-filled style that helps readers save time and quickly understand your message.

Tip for April 12, 2004

How many words in that document? One of Microsoft Word's most often overlooked tools is its Word Count command, located in the Tools menu. There are two ways you can use the Word Count command. One way is to see how many words your document contains. Place the insertion point anywhere in the document, and select Tools>Word Count. You'll get an instant update on the number of words and paragraphs in your document. Another way is to count the number of words in a portion of your document. Simply highlight the section, or paragraphs, you're curious about, and select Tools>Word Count. Word will only count the words and paragraphs in the highlighted paragraph.

Tip for April 13, 2004

$10 profit builder from Radio Shack There are several ways Guerrillas can profit from Radio Shack's Up/Down Timer (catalog number 63-878). Use it to keep track of time spent on various client projects. Keep track of telephone calls and their length, and find out how long it actually takes you to provide services that you price on a "project" basis. You may find that you are spending far more time than anticipated. You can also use it to keep track of time spent on various marketing activities. Use it as a countdown timer to keep presentations and teleconferences on schedule. Use the timer while rehearsing your presentations and call, to make sure you're not trying to include too much information for the time available. During your presentation or call, you can see how much time remains, making sure that you leave time for questions at the end.

Tip for April 14, 2004

When selling services, there's an unfortunate tendency to reinvent the wheel with each new client, preparing a custom proposals, etc. As a result, you may be spending more time than necessary preparing proposals. An alternative is to create a series of "small," "medium," and "large" packages that you can quickly explain to prospects on the first meeting. Many prospects will appreciate getting a ballpark estimate of what services cost you offer and what they cost. As your discussions with prospects proceed further, it's likely that you will fine-tune your packages to better meet their specific needs. That's OK, as long both parties understand the reasons for departure from your "packages." "Packages" help both you and your clients. They make it easier for you to present your services and they make it easier for clients to both make quick, decisions.

Tip for April 15, 2004

Avoid false economies when choosing premiums Guerrilla Marketers understand that they are being constantly judged by their clients and prospects. Every point of contact can either enhance, or detract, from their image. That's why Guerrillas avoid false economies when choosing premiums. Cheap, poor-quality premiums can do more harm than good. They communicate a lack of concern with client satisfaction. They present an unprofessional image of the firm distributing them. In some cases, it may be better to not distribute any premiums, or limit distribution, rather than reducing premium quality and weakening your firm's image.

Tip for April 16, 2004

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 April 17, 2004

Quick, now: why a marketing plan? (First of four) A marketing plan provides Guerrillas with a daily calendar of marketing tasks. At a glance, Guerrillas can see what has to be done and why. By making your marketing tasks visible and tangible, you're taking the first step towards ensuring that marketing becomes a part of your daily marketing activities.

Tip for April 18, 2004

Quick: Another reason to have a marketing plan? (second of four) Creating a calendar of marketing tasks makes it easy to develop the content you need for your marketing messages. By noting upcoming deadlines, and frequently reviewing your marketing plan, your subconscious mind will be thinking about upcoming tasks while you drive, read, or sleep. As a result, a lot of the hard work--the thinking--will already be done when you sit down to create an article, brochure, newsletter, or press release.

Tip for April 19, 2004

Quick, yet another reason to have a marketing plan. (third of four) Your marketing plan provides a location where you can track the results of your various Guerrilla Marketing weapons. Simply note the number of responses and the number of sales next to each of your marketing activities. Trends will soon become obvious, permitting you to weed out the slow performers and concentrate on the weapons that deliver the biggest profits.

Tip for April 20, 2004

A final reason to have a marketing plan (fourth of four) Deadline Madness is never pretty. Deadline madness results in embarrassing mistakes: typographical errors, misspelled names, missing names, incorrect prices, and transposed digits in phone numbers, etc. No one can do their best work under deadline pressure. And costs rapidly escalate as your project enters its final stages. A simple error that you could have changed for free early in your brochure production becomes a costly change when it has to be made on the printing press. Avoid stress. Avoid costly mistakes. Use a marketing plan to work backwards from the "street date" of your promotion, so there will be sufficient time to fine-tune your project.

Tip for April 21, 2004

Use Acrobat Distiller To Make Permanent Copies of Media Publicity Today, more and more articles and testimonials appear on the web. You may be written up in a newsletter serving your trade. In addition, local newspapers almost usually run a web version of articles that originate in their print versions. The problem is, web articles quickly disappear: they lack tangibility They're often quickly deleted from the web server. Use Adobe Acrobat Distiller's web browser feature to make permanent copies of web site articles and comments. Once captured, you have a permanent copy of the article, one that you can easily share as an e-mail attachment.

Tip for April 22, 2004

How not to treat a frequent guest Jay teaches us that "marketing is everything that you do." That lesson was driven home to me Saturday night, when I took my wife to our favorite Italian local restaurant for a pre-Easter supper. The restaurant was crowded--evidently I wasn't the only one who needed tomato sauce and pasta in anticipation of Easter's turkey, ham, and lamb. While waiting for a table, a regular customer came in, was greeted with extra friendliness, and asked: "How many tonight?" The frequent diner responded: "14." The hostess's immediately retort: "Oh no!" What an awful thing to say. Regardless of whether or not it was intended as a joke, it was at least subcsconiously tremendously unfriendly. If I were them....I would have turned my back and said: "Oh yes!" and left. Forever.

Tip for April 23, 2004

How stupid do they think we are? Has the following ever happened to you? You get a brilliant idea for a URL, and you enter it into your web browser to see what happens. Suddenly, you're at a "buy domains" search engine that informs you the URL you are interested in has been taken, but they'll sell it to you for a princely fee. That's not the problem. In disgust, you exit the site.....only to find--the next time you go online--that the search engine site is now your default opening page. This, of course, requires wasting time figuring out how to change the default page, etc. Do these firms really think you will ever buy anything from them? The point of Guerrilla Marketing is to become a trusted resource, not a source of aggravation. Hopefully, none of us do anything as equally frustrating to our casual web site visitors.

Tip for April 24, 2004

Fusion Marketing: Example 1 of 3 Jay frequently emphasizes the importance of Fusion Marketing. I encountered an example yesterday. A local Mercedes-Benz dealer had donated its showroom for use as a Red Cross Blood Drive. Not only was this a laudable goal, but the dealership used Fusion Marketing to the utmost: * Two radio stations were broadcasting live from the showroom, in addition to numerous promotions in the days prior to the event. * A local restaurant provided free lunches for donors. * A local limousine service was offering free pickup and drop-off service to businesses where they were three, or more, employees willing to give blood. Everyone benefited from heavy media exposure before, during, and after the event.

Tip for April 25, 2004

Fusion Marketing: Example 2 of 3 S-gauge is a small, but growing, segment of the model railroad hobby. As participants of a small segment of the hobby, it is hard for S-guage manufacturers to attract visibility on their own. But, on the inside cover of one of this month's largest model railroad magazines, 12 S-gauge manufacturers had split the cost of a full-page, full-color ad. Together, they can now attract the attention that, individually, they could never afford.

Tip for April 26, 2004

Fusion Marketing: Example 3 of 3 What do you do if you're an independent automobile located in the crowded suburbs of Boston or Seattle? With media costs rising, and "super-sized" dealers spending more and more money on media, how do you get your voice heard? Once again, Fusion Marketing to the rescue. By forming an association, like a "Route 1 Automile," dealers can pool their money, buy media more efficiently, and together, attract more car buyers to their stretch of the road. Whether its Federal Way, Washington (south of Seattle), or Norwell, Massachusetts, the idea works the same. The same can be tried by groups of restaurants, consultants, or any other providers who share a common target market

Tip for April 27, 2004

Location, Location.....What? Guerrillas are constantly on the lookout for important lessons from their peers. A good source of lessons is to analyze the sixty-second infomercials delivered at networking events like B.N.I. meetings. For example, the three rules of Real Estate are, of course, "location, location, location." But, these are not necessarily the three rules of service business success. Yet, many service providers begin their sixty-second informercials by stressing their location: "at the Pease International Tradeport," "a mile from State Street Discount," or "Where Tortilla Flats Restaurant used to be." Why encourage your listeners' minds to wander, when you can better spend the time communicating the benefits you offer?

Tip for April 28, 2004

This week's winning 60-second infomercial One of the members of my B.N.I. networking group owns a company that takes aerial photographs from a 60 foot mast mounted on her truck. Her market includes developers, hotels, golf courses, and Realtors looking for a unique perspective to present homes for sale. This week, Francoise began her presentation by saying: "I sell Real Estate!" which got everyone's attention. She then described how her photographs do a better job of displaying a home than conventional ground level photographs, because they display the home in context of the home's setting and landscaping. For the first time, everyone got the message. Because, instead of emphasizing her "tool," i.e. the 60-foot tower on top of her truck, she stressed the benefit the tool offered. Is your description equally as effective?

Tip for April 29, 2004

Intake Questionnaire Make Sense for Guerrillas, too As anyone who has changed doctors, or has ever been referred to a specialist, knows, intake forms are the rule of the day. The generally come attached to a clipboard, and they ask all sorts of questions that help your new health provider get an immediate understanding of your goals and background. Guerrillas should do the same thing. You instantly project a professional, results-oriented approach when you present a simple questionnaire to a prospective client. The mere fact you have a form positions you apart from your competitors and shows you value your prospect's time. I did that this morning, and the prospect said; "Wow! This is going to be a really productive meeting!" As usual, Jay's books contain numerous questions that you can use coming up with your own "intake questionnaire."

Tip for April 30, 2004

"A Good Referral for me Is Anyone with a Face." That's how a professional photographer used to end his B.N.I. sixty-second infomercial. Surprisingly, although most people in the room had friends and knew people with faces, he didn't get too many referrals. But, when he changed each week's pitch to a specific category of individual, his referrals went through the roof. "I'm looking for someone in HR at Acme Corporation," or "I'm looking for referrals to recently engaged couples," or "I'm looking for sons and daughters who a family portrait to give their mother on Mother's Day." Are your sixty-second informercials soliciting "faces" or specific referrals?