Characteristics of a Guerrilla Marketer


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

believe the old saw that "you can't teach an old dog new

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
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
or more of their marketing newsletters.