* Failure to attract attention at outset dooms many brilliant campaigns before they have a chance to shine. Envelopes, opening lines, mail subject lines and first impressions are gates to your offer. Open them wide.

* Not facing reality of a direct marketing explosion relegates your attempt to ordinary, which means ignored. Guerrillas say things to rise above din, to be noticed and desired in a sea of marketers.

* Focusing your message on yourself instead of your prospect will usually send your effort to oblivion. Prospects care far more about themselves than they care about you. So talk to them about themselves.

* Not knowing precisely who your market is will send you into wrong direction. Research into pinpointing that market will be some of most valuable time you devote to your direct marketing campaign.

* Mailing or telephoning to other than honest prospects wastes your time and money. If you make your offer to people who don't really have a need for your offering, they'll be an incredibly tough sale.

* Initiating direct response marketing without specific objectives gives you too hazy a target for bullseyes. Begin by creating response method for your prospects so you'll know what your message should say.

* Featuring your price before you stress your benefit will be telling people what they don't want to know yet. First, your job is to make them want what you are offering, then you can tell them price.

* Concentrating on your price before your offer is wasting a powerful selling point. Even if your price is lowest, people care more about how they'll gain from purchasing. Give your low price at right time.

* Failing to test all that can be tested is a goof-off of highest order. Test your price points, opening lines, subject lines, envelope teaser lines, benefits to stress, contact times and mailing lists to know real winners.

* Setting wrong price means you've failed in your testing and your research. Guerrillas are sensitive to their market and their competition, testing prices and constantly subjecting them to litmus test of profits.

As direct response vehicles become more sophisticated and prolific, guerrillas have insight to zero in on exact people to contact, so as not to waste time or money on strangers. Successful mailings to strangers net as high as two percent response rates. Successful mailings to customers and qualified prospects net up to ten percent. Precision leads to profits.