We've talked about what makes a guerrilla marketing plan lastweek. today let's talk about
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
mind except those we
acknowledge...Both poverty and riches are
offspring of
thought."
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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
negative. Like they say, "Garbage in,
garbage out." You cannot be a great guerrilla marketer if you
only spout
same garbage that you soak up subconsciously
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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
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
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
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
daily routine of carrying out your
marketing plan, stick with it. Be committed! Be patient! There
can't be one without
other.
The reason most people fail on
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,
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
one with
eleven
stamps on it?
This imagination must include
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
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
lines.
You must be sensitive to what your competition is doing. Another