The Seven Energy Characteristics

The Seven Energy Characteristics
Bill Gallagher, Ph.D.
1-800-800-8086

1. Act with belief in your ability to succeed. Know that you have a right to be successful, that you can and will succeed.

2. Act with a significant other. Working with another person creates ten times more success energy than working alone.

3. Act with a strategy, a plan. Set out how you're going to fulfill your goals, how are you going to go about helping others fulfill their wants and needs.

4. Act with a set of uncompromising principles. Fair, Care , Share. . . Acceptance, Trust, Service. . . Love, Health, Peace. . .

5. Act with your "problems" your fears. Accept them and get on with your life.

6. Act with health. Eat good food. Exercise 20 minutes every day. Drink 8 glasses of water daily. You've heard all of this before. JUST DO IT!

7. Act with a higher purpose. You may call this God, a Higher Power, or Mother Nature. Belief in God will strengthen you as it always has strengthened others.

Sacramento Business Journal, Media & Marketing May 16, 1997

From: http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/1997/05/19/newscolumn1.html?page=2

Friday, May 16, 1997
Media & Marketing
Subcontractor to sue for payment over Caltrans deal
Sacramento Business Journal - by Mark Larson

Off to camp: Mark June 6 in your calendars. It's the fourth annual Marketing Boot Camp, hosted by the Business Journal and the Sacramento chapter of the American Marketing Association. The full-day event will feature presentations from three local marketing success stories; an introduction to "guerrilla marketing" by Business Journal contributor Bill Gallagher; and experts talking on strategy, planning, sales, advertising and public relations, and marketing on the Internet. It'll be held at the Sacramento Hilton and registration will cost from $69 to $99 per person. Call 753-1127 for more information.

Learn from Ford's big mistake

From: http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/1997/03/03/smallb6.html

Friday, February 28, 1997

Learn from Ford's big mistake
Sacramento Business Journal - by Bill Gallagher

Many years ago, the huge Ford Motor Co. made a huge marketing goof. The goof was so enormous that even though you may not have been alive at time, chances are you have heard about the infamous Edsel.

Many people think the car bombed because of its design. Not so. While the central design theme was somewhat bizarre -- the car looked a bit as if it were some kind of giant fish sucking on a lemon -- the look wasn't the source of the debacle. It was the marketing.

As the story goes, from the CEO's office down came the word, "We want a car with something for everyone, the Edsel." Obediently, marketing ordered lots of models with lots of prices. More than 20 models were designed, from four-door sedans to racy sports models, each sucking that lemon and all headed for disaster.

Something for everyone -- lots of models with lots of prices -- spells a very negative marketing kismet.

Let's contrast this gloom and doom with a success story. A Ford success. A huge Ford success. Did I say huge? Bigger than huge. Enormous. Gigantic. And years later, still going. I speak, of course, of the Mustang.

The success was due to a tightly focused sales campaign, what we call today "target marketing."

The defined, or targeted, market was:

1. "Young," meaning age 20 to 30.

2. "Second family car," meaning age 30 to 50.

The model was positioned as easy to handle and uncomplicated. Thus, everyone knew what a Mustang was and who was supposed to buy it. They did, in droves.

The Mustang's popularity started with a very narrow target market, the young and the "young at heart." It was designed for the wants and needs of this market alone. Ford knew the market wanted an uncomplicated car that was easy to handle.

Some of you may recall that a few years later, Ford decided to widen the Mustang offering. Sales, of course, dipped.

Loss of targeted marketing focus usually means a loss in sales. We in smaller businesses must learn lessons from the big guys. They can afford to make mistakes here and there, but we can't.

A final word or so: Find out who wants or needs your products or services the most. Set up all your efforts to that small slice of North America. Later we can target another marketing segment.

Bill Gallagher is head of Guerrilla Sales & Marketing in Diamond Springs and co-author of "Guerrilla Selling." For more information on the topics and ideas in this column, call (800) 800-8086 or send e-mail to bguerrilla@aol.com.

Know the when and why of following up with customers

From: http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/1997/02/10/smallb3.html

Friday, February 7, 1997

Know the when and why of following up with customers
Sacramento Business Journal - by Bill Gallagher

We've been exploring some no-cost marketing tips that will have a big impact on your small business. Keep in mind that by definition, a small business is one with annual sales of less than $5 million. That covers a lot of North American firms.

I focus on these businesses because there are so many of them; nearly a million of them start up every year. Two out of three will be out of business in less than five years. The biggest problem is poor attention to sales and marketing. That's where I come in.

A technique not always understood by some is called "follow-up." Everybody knows that you need to follow up with your customers, but when? And why? Let's start with why.

The first purpose of following up is to make sure that what the customer bought was delivered. This may appear to be an oversimplification, but I remind you that the No. 1 complaint of all American consumers continues to be that the experience they thought they were going to have at an establishment didn't match what they found.

Said another way, what they thought they ordered wasn't delivered.

Okay, so you're going to follow up with your customers. When is the best time to do this? Upon delivery, just to make sure everything's fine.

The second reason to follow up -- and the second follow-up -- is to get referrals. When is the best time to do this?

The answer is within 30 days after delivery. In marketing circles, this time is called the Time of Supreme Customer Satisfaction. You show up and say something like, "How are you enjoying your new whatever?" and "If you were me, who would you call on next?"

Often, they'll tell you about a friend who had admired the new whatever.

On a similar subject, studies have shown over and over again that the more contact time you spend with customers, the more loyalty they will have for you and your services. Were not talking about building friendships; we're talking about more contact time for business relationships.

One excellent way to do this is to more deeply explore the customer needs relative to your firm. First-level needs are rarely the whole story. There are probably more profound and meaningful subconscious needs underneath that first look. When you spend enough time with your customers to find out their emotional needs and feelings about your products, you'll usually have a customer for life.

Here's another generally unsuspected customer relationship tip. Your enthusiasm for your profession and your unique approach will win you more customers. Let all of us know how happy you are to be in your particular business. Remember we're all in the problem-solving, people-pleaser business.

Bill Gallagher is head of Guerrilla Sales & Marketing in Diamond Springs and co-author of "Guerrilla Selling." For more information on the topics and ideas in this column, call (800) 800-8086 or send e-mail to bguerrilla@aol.com. If you have a marketing question, send it to The Business Journal, 1401 21st St., Sacramento 95814.

Say hello to happier customers

From: http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/1997/02/03/smallb10.html

Friday, January 31, 1997

Say hello to happier customers
Sacramento Business Journal - by Bill Gallagher

We've been looking at a lot of miscellaneous no-cost and low-cost marketing tips. Here are some more. They deal with how you say hello and goodbye, in person and on the telephone.

When someone comes into your store or office, what do you or your staff say? Instead of "Can I help you?" try out something like, "Hi, have you ever been in our store or used our services before?" or "Good morning, are you a current client?"

No matter what they say, you respond with, "Great! Did you know that this week we have a special on ...?" Answer. "Would you like some information on that?"

On the telephone you might use, "Hello, this is Mary with Acme Construction, where you can always get what you really want." (This last phrase is Acme's slogan. It appears everywhere, on its stationery, on its invoices, everywhere.)

You continue, "Are you a current customer?" Following the answer, you say, "Great! Did you know that this month we have a special on ...? Answer. "Would you like some information on that?"

When you end the conversation, say something like: "I hope to see you soon." Avoid "Have a nice day." While it's a pleasant message, overuse has made it ring hollow to most of us.

Now there are many exceptions to these suggestions, I know, but I'm sure that you get my drift. The idea is to be helpful and, most importantly, original. With a new, fresh approach you'll be much more likely to be heard.

Overall, your firm's general phone demeanor is critical. No matter what words are used, if they sound like, "Wadda ya want?" you're in trouble. I ask clients to put a small mirror near the base of the phone so that they can see how they look. Add some red colored tape or lipstick to the mirror in the shape of a smile. This reminds them to smile while answering the phone. That smile can be heard.

Try smiling, turn to someone else or to the mirror and say something negative and nasty. It just doesn't work out, does it? Go ahead, try it.

How neat and tidy are you and your delivery people? For many firms, the delivery person is the primary contact person with customers. His or her appearance is often overlooked, but critical. Most of us think that if you're that way with your truck, car, briefcase or dress, you're likely to be that way with us.

Bill Gallagher is head of Guerrilla Sales & Marketing in Diamond Springs and co-author of "Guerrilla Selling." For more information on the topics and ideas in this column, call (800) 800-8086 or send e-mail to bguerrilla@aol.com.

Overlooked marketing tools

From: http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/1997/01/27/smallb3.html

Friday, January 24, 1997

Overlooked marketing tools
Sacramento Business Journal - by Bill "Guerrilla" Gallagher, Ph.D.

We've been going through the list of more than 100 marketing tools presented in this column a couple of weeks ago. Today we look at tools that aren't often recognized as a part of marketing. But they are!

The good news is that most of them will cost you nada, nothing, zip ... from what you already are paying. And they're as powerful as any of the high-powered, high-priced advertising someone's trying to talk you into spending!

• You probably never thought of your business card as a marketing tool, but it is. In fact, it's one of your most important marketing tools. You see, if your name, logo and slogan were completely clear to your potential customers, you wouldn't have such a need for that expensive brochure we talked about a few weeks back. Toss your cards around at public events, like sports events and conferences.

• Is the packaging for your products or services hip? Do your stationery and, yes, your invoices convey your marketing message?

I like to see an invoice set up like a menu in a fancy restaurant. List the seven top products you sell -- your "specials" -- and have a space for "other." This way I get to see your top seven, which can change often. Maybe I'm in the market for one or two of these and I didn't even know you sold them!

• Have you considered holding a contest? How about an essay contest, written by high school seniors, judged by the city council or county supervisors, on "What's Great About America Today?" You'll get written up in all the local press and radio and TV media. The prize might be a trip somewhere with a co-sponsorship from your favorite travel agency.

• What about a roadside stand? Why not? Have you thought about gift baskets? No business that I know of cannot use gift baskets. An accountant friend of mine sends fruit, cheese and a certificate for two hours of financial consulting.

• When is the last time you've checked out your audio-visual aids? Are they working for you? Digital presentations are here. So is the video brochure. What's a video brochure? It's very much like its written counterpart except it has sound and it moves. Since it more closely mirrors reality, it also has the potential to move your prospective customer.

Is there a way your expertise could be captured on an audio tape or videocassette? No matter what you do, from plumber to attorney, from gift basket creator to property manager, I suspect you could have another "profit center" and/or a great marketing piece by taping a cassette with you as an "expert" in the field.

• Do you ever need to put telephone callers on "hold"? Give them some more information about your firm by using "marketing on hold." Firms abound that will make a tape loop for you.

• Does the decor of your office reflect the identity of your firm and your target market's taste? If not, change it.

• What about your business attire and that of your employees? Again, does it reflect your customers' preferences? This and your decor are more important than you may realize. Remember the power of first impressions. Remember how judgmental you are at times. Your customers are not much different.

• Do you have a few different gifts like pens, calendars or key chains with your firm's name and phone number on them? Put these "ad specialties" one at a time into proposals, thank-you notes and the like. They are bulky, which will always get your envelope opened. Your name will be seen again and again. Each one is one more message to the subconscious, where all buying decisions are made.

• You may not believe this, but matchbook advertising still works for the "can you draw this" art school and the "high school diploma by mail" people. It's still working for hundreds of others as well.

Create something new and unusual for a matchbook cover with your message on the inside. People will take them -- not only the 20 million of us who still smoke, but nonsmokers too.

Put them inside your next mailing with a PS saying "Here's something to help keep you warm through these long winter nights!"

Bill Gallagher is head of Guerrilla Sales & Marketing in Diamond Springs and co-author of "Guerrilla Selling." For more information on the topics and ideas in this column, call (800) 800-8086 or send e-mail to bguerrilla@aol.com.

Make names work for you

From: http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/1997/01/20/smallb1.html

Friday, January 17, 1997

Make names work for you
Sacramento Business Journal - by Bill "Guerrilla" Gallagher, Ph.D.

Last week we gave you the list of more than 100 guerrilla sales and marketing tools. Remember more than half of them will not cost you anything. This week let's see how they work. Specifically, we'll talk about the Critical Identity Statement portrayed in the company name.

I have a client named Luigi who owns a European-style bakery and a cafeteria-style cafe. The bakery is doing fine. His lunch business is great. He now wants to expand his dinner business. Is Cafe Luigi a good name for a dinner restaurant? No. Do we ever go to a bakery for dinner? No.

His desire to get more dinner customers requires him to shift his Critical Identity Statement, his business name. As I've said in earlier columns, Jiffy Lube is a great name because it tells me exactly what they do, it implies a bargain, and it spells out a benefit to me, quick!

What Critical Identity Statement will give my client all this?

Simple answers are often the best: "Luigi's." To my ear, that sounds like a European place. Loyal customers all know the name. New dinner customers won't be put off by the limiting words "bakery" and "cafe." Now chef Luigi can have any food business he wants, provided it's European style.

Luigi's can profit by accentuating his European identity. Here in North America we still admire Europe a lot. European spas, European cosmetics, and European food all get our attention.

Do you know that Haagen-D...zs ice cream has nothing but its odd name (not found in any recognizable European language) to imply that it's European? Not only that, it's made in New Jersey.

If "Der Wienerschnitzel" really were German, it would be "Das Wienerschnitzel," and Wienerschnitzel has absolutely nothing to do with hot dogs! A Wienerschnitzel is a breaded veal cutlet prepared in the Vienna style.

Names are funny. After World War II, another client's father started an office furniture business in Manhattan. He named his firm Consumer-Ennis. "Ennis" in the 1940s, was used by many firms in the same way "Rama" (Furniture-Rama) was used in the 1960s and "Land" (Furniture-Land) in the 1980s. The 1990s equivalent appears to be " '' Stuff" or " 'R' Us" (Furniture '' Stuff or, maybe, Furniture 'R' Us?)

We changed the store's name to The Office Furniture Outlet. The slogan, colors, logo and everything else followed that name change. Business is up 400 percent! (Yes, they kept a Consumer-Ennis ad in the yellow pages for a while.)

Check out your Critical Identity Statement. Is it clear to all of us exactly what you do?

Bill Gallagher is head of Guerrilla Sales & Marketing in Diamond Springs and co-author of "Guerrilla Selling." For more information on the topics and ideas in this column, call (800) 800-8086 or send e-mail to bguerrilla@aol.com.

Using more tools increases your returns

From: http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/1997/01/13/smallb2.html

Friday, January 10, 1997

Using more tools increases your returns
Sacramento Business Journal - by Bill "Guerrilla" Gallagher, Ph.D.

Jay Conrad Levinson -- the founder of Guerrilla Marketing, my mentor and co-author -- has come up with 100 Guerrilla Marketing "weapons." I have respectfully added to that list.

And I prefer not to use the word "weapon" in association with techniques to help people see the value of your products and services. I prefer to call them strategies, tactics and tools. Most firms use five or six marketing tools. Guerrillas use 50 to 60. More than half of them will not cost you anything!

They begin with the basics and continue to the more sophisticated.

Strategy No. 1 is by far the most critical. That's defining your business identity. Who are you? What do you do for your customers? How are you unique?

Most everything else supports your business identity.

Can you find 50 to 60 tools to put into your new marketing plan? Here's the list:

• Basic tools for the outset -- Business identity, business name, niche, quality, logo, color, motto or slogan, location, research studies, distribution, marketing plan and calendar, pricing, selection, customer mailing list.

• Tools often not recognized as part of marketing -- Packages, business cards, stationery, order forms, invoices, inserts, contests and sweepstakes, roadside stands, gift baskets, audiovisual aids, audiotapes and videotapes, marketing on phone hold, decor, attire, ad specialties and gifts, balloons, matchbooks, music.

• Tools that begin with attitudes -- Phone demeanor, neatness, smiles, speed, service, follow-up, contact time with the customer, how you say "hello" and "goodbye," publicity contacts, brand-name awareness, enthusiasm, competitiveness.

• Tools overlooked by non-Guerrillas -- Community involvement, take-one boxes, window displays, club and association memberships, team sponsorships, reprints of ads and publicity, sales training, circulars, refreshments, books and articles, courses and lectures, gift certificates, testimonials, tie-ins with others, writing a column in a publication, newsletters, classified ads, posters.

• Tools that can make you easy to buy from -- Hours of operation, days of operation, accepting credit cards, offering financing, catalogs, samples, toll-free phone numbers, credibility, satisfied customers.

• Tools that are frequently misused -- Outside signs, word-of-mouth, brochures, yellow pages ads, public relations, telemarketing scripts, access to co-op funds, access to marketing materials.

• Tools that can produce instant results -- Inside signs, trade show displays, fairs and flea markets, special events, searchlights and blimps, seminars and workshops, merchandise displays, demonstrations, consultations, sales presentations, direct-mail letters and postcards, postcard decks, booths for malls, door hangers, sales representatives.

• Tools that have extra firepower and lower costs the Guerrilla way -- Advertising, reputations, newspaper ads, magazine ads, radio commercials, outdoor billboards, cable TV commercials.

Bill Gallagher is head of Guerrilla Sales & Marketing in Diamond Springs and co-author of "Guerrilla Selling." For more information on the topics and ideas in this column, call (800) 800-8086 or send e-mail to bguerrilla@aol.com. If you have a marketing question, send it to The Business Journal, 1401 21st St., Sacramento 95814.

Why measurement matters

From: http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/1997/01/06/smallb5.html

Friday, January 3, 1997

Why measurement matters
Sacramento Business Journal - by Bill "Guerrilla" Gallagher, Ph.D.

Personally, I hate to floss. I'm not sure exactly why. It's just that it's a lot of bother. Measuring your marketing effectiveness is a lot like that. It's a lot of bother.

"If someone calls, sell 'em," you say. You want to fill their wants and needs with your products. You don't want to waste time with questions that aren't leading to a sale.

But remember, you must ask. You must be able to measure your marketing activities. In fact, not measuring your marketing is the biggest sin in all the business universe.

You've got to know if this or that ad or mailer was successful. Is your word-of-mouth campaign working? Did any new customer see that public relations piece you did with the chamber of commerce?

What we're trying to do here is tweak your 52-week guerrilla marketing calendar to find out what was/is successful in generating business and what wasn't so hot. Obviously, we're going to eliminate or change the bad ideas and only slightly modify the good stuff.

In a few years -- because you're in this for the long haul -- you're going to have one heck of a document in that calendar. It will be your most important and valuable piece of paper. You'll keep this one under lock and key. Why? Because, when developed, it'll tell you what you need to do each week to keep your critical marketing machine running all year long.

But if you don't measure each call, you'll be like a duck out of water, not knowing what's working and what isn't.

It may seem a bit awkward, but just take a 3-by-5 card and divide it into six sections, label each section with the five current marketing techniques you're using. For example, "Cable TV Spot," "KST Talk Radio," "Business Journal Ad," "Yellow-Page Ad," or "Word-of-Mouth." The sixth might be labeled "Other."

When anyone calls, after you greet them and ask "How can we help you today?" as a guerrilla, you need to ask, "How did you hear about us?" When they tell you, just make a mark in the appropriate areas of your 3-by-5 card.

Date the cards. You may need one for each day. Save them. We'll go over them some week when things slow down a bit. It will be very apparent what's working and what isn't.

Keeping score is the key to guerrilla marketing. Measuring is like flossing!

Bill Gallagher is head of Guerrilla Sales & Marketing in Diamond Springs and co-author of "Guerrilla Selling." For more information on the topics and ideas in this column, call (800) 800-8086 or send e-mail to bguerrilla@aol.com.

Be consistent so public gets the message

From: http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/1996/12/16/smallb3.html

Friday, December 13, 1996

Be consistent so public gets the message
Sacramento Business Journal - by Bill "Guerrilla" Gallagher, Ph.D.

In last week's column I stressed the need to be patient when running an advertisement. Whatever the medium -- TV, radio, print -- I'm going to have to see or hear your ad about 27 times before I'll pick up the telephone and call for your "FREE brochure." Remember the importance of this phrase.

Okay, I remember, you're running a small business; you've got a limited budget. You're not sure that you've got enough money to run each ad campaign with 27 insertions.

Hmmm, what can we do? Be consistent. Yes, that's the answer. Consistency. Superconsistency. I'll explain.

Decide on a good name for your firm, a good logo, a good slogan, and a good "basic ad." These are all important for the survival and ultimate success of your firm. Then once you've decided, don't change. Don't even change your type style or your colors, or the relationship between the different type sizes, or anything!

As I've said, at a certain point you'll get bored with your slogan, or your logo or your offer. If you don't, your spouse will, or your friends will. Your mother-in-law will tell you it's beginning to sound stupid or whatever.

Guerrilla hint: It's about this time that your potential customers are just beginning to notice your ad and they'll start calling next week!

But, if you've been consistent, people will be calling you sooner. Here's why.

I see your TV ad a few times, and I see your display ad in the local paper, and I drive by your business and see the sign in front, and I see your business card on the bulletin board at the supermarket or the hair stylist. Then, when I feel a need that you may satisfy or a pain that you may ease, I turn to the yellow pages and I'm searching for relief and again I see the same name, the same colors, the same logo, the same typeface, the same offer, etc.

It all makes me six times more likely to call your firm than any other. And I will do this for subconscious reasons more than any motive that I can identify.

We guerrillas know that it's because of your consistent message, even if I haven't seen your ad the requisite 27 times, I'll respond because you look like you're everywhere, everyone's using your services.

Stay consistent and you'll be more effective, and your advertising costs will be a lot lower. Remember, we're talking about super consistency, same type style, same logo, same slogan, same general offer.

Consistency is the big secret to Madison Avenue advertising with an off-Broadway budget.

Bill Gallagher is head of Guerrilla Sales & Marketing in Diamond Springs and co-author of "Guerrilla Selling." For more information on the topics and ideas in this column, call (800) 800-8086 or send e-mail to bguerrilla@aol.com. If you have a marketing question, send it to The Business Journal, 1401 21st St., Sacramento 95814.

Don't give up on that newspaper ad just yet

From: http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/1996/12/09/smallb5.html

Friday, December 6, 1996

Don't give up on that newspaper ad just yet
Sacramento Business Journal - by Bill "Guerrilla" Gallagher, Ph.D.

Have you ever put together a really impressive newspaper ad? Did you have the good fortune to have it well placed in the paper? (They say the best position is dead center or just above the place where your right thumb is holding the paper.)

After you ran this ad, did you cancel your morning appointments and wait for the phone to ring off the hook? (Phones used to have hooks, I guess.) And the only person who called you was your mother-in-law, who noticed that you spelled some word wrong?

So, you decided that maybe the ad wasn't so hot after all.

Not necessarily. The question should be: How many times do I need to see your ad to move from total apathy toward your product or service to something called "purchase readiness"? How many ads will get me to pick up the phone and call you for that FREE brochure?

By the way, unless you have a good reason not to, the phrase "Call today for your FREE brochure" ought to be in every ad. It not only implies no obligation, but it tells me exactly what you want me to do. Please note also that "FREE" is always spelled with four capital letters.

Okay, back to our original question. How many time do you need to run that ad to get me to call you?

The answer is seven.

This has to do with our neural memory buffer, a little too complex to go into here. Just think of how many sevens exist in our culture. Seven deadly sins, seven wonders of the world, seven days of the week -- you get the point. Seven is cool.

But wait. The complete answer is really "seven, plus or minus two." In other words, some folks will call after only seeing your ad five times; for others it will take up to nine. Figuring on the worst-case scenario, you need to run the ad at least nine times to catch all of us who might be interested in your offer.

Hang on, we're not finished yet. Since most of us aren't paying attention but about a third of the time, you really need to run that ad three times nine. Twenty-seven times your ad needs to show up in or near the same spot before you will know if it's an effective ad or not.

This is why you need to be patient.

And, obviously, use smaller ads.

Over and over again it has been shown that small ads are just as effective, and in many cases more effective, than full-page jumbo ads.

Why? Well, when we read the newspaper, we're looking for information. We scan everything looking for facts, stories, bargains and so on. When we see a whole page devoted to something that doesn't grab us in one-twentieth of a second, we quickly scan to the next page.

Hang in there. Have the patience to wait it out. By the time you're sick and tired of your ad, your future customers are just noticing it!

Bill Gallagher is head of Guerrilla Sales & Marketing in Diamond Springs and co-author of "Guerrilla Selling." For more information on the topics and ideas in this column, call (800) 800-8086 or send e-mail to bguerrilla@aol.com. If you have a marketing question, send it to The Business Journal, 1401 21st St., Sacramento 95814.

People will pay a premium for speed and convenience

From: http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/1996/12/02/smallb5.html

Friday, November 29, 1996

People will pay a premium for speed and convenience
Sacramento Business Journal - by Bill "Guerrilla" Gallagher, Ph.D.

Well, the fellow who said "time is money" is wrong! In the 21st century, time is a lot more important than money. Think of the premium we place on speed and convenience. For starters, think about something basic like, say, toilet paper. You and I can buy toilet paper at Big Bob's Club, the huge super discount outlet, for about 25 cents a roll when we buy a box of rolls. The exact same two-ply stuff costs $1.25 in a "convenience" store. And, we all willingly pay 400 percent more to not wait so long in line! Amazing.

The convenience "industry" has something to teach every other business in America -- in the world.

Who gets my business? The person who can deliver it in under an hour, that's who. I want it hot and I want it now.

Good name for your new fast-food joint, by the way: Hot '' Now. My all time favorite name for any business is "Jiffy Lube." Talk about cool. Not only do they tell you exactly what they do, they imply a benefit.

Can you say that about your business? Does your name suggest convenience? If not, consider adding a "speedy" adjective. Fast, quick, brisk, fleet, breakneck, accelerated, rapid, swift, chop-chop, wiki-wiki, expeditious, in-and-out, energetic, immediate, at once, instant, now, in a flash, faster than a speeding bullet ...

What part of your business can be made into a drive-through? Drive-through fast food and banking are nothing new, of course. Our town now has a drive-through shoe repair. His business has grown so fast that the other cobbler is, unfortunately, going out of business. What about a drive-through convenience store? Drive-through weddings? (Vegas has them!)

How can I serve you with my business while you're still in your car? Drive-through marketing consulting; what a concept! Drop on by and we'll show you how. Just honk once and we'll come a running.

If I can't give you car service, can I improve the parking and the flow in the parking lot? Yes. Should I have a clear map on all my marketing pieces? Yes. Should I tell about easily getting on and off the local freeway? Yes. Should I mention "lots of free parking?" Yes. Should I consider valet parking? Yes.

And while the customer's buying, maybe we should wash and vacuum the car. Think about it, seriously.

Are you a store on Main Street? At least in the summer you could have a few responsible teens (this is not an oxymoron) parking cars for your customers.

Many smaller businesses are up against the Wal (Mart) these days. The only reason people shop in these bigger stores is because it's more convenient to shop there. It's not the slightly cheaper prices, although that's what they'll tell you because they don't understand the value of convenience any more than the average American does. They just feel it.

These folks miss you, but you're just not as convenient!

Time to change this perception of you.

Bill Gallagher is head of Guerrilla Sales & Marketing in Diamond Springs and co-author of "Guerrilla Selling." For more information on the topics and ideas in this column, call (800) 800-8086 or send e-mail to bguerrilla@aol.com. If you have a marketing question, send it to The Business Journal, 1401 21st St., Sacramento 95814.

Follow up, but not too soon after the sale

From: http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/1996/11/25/smallb3.html

Friday, November 22, 1996

Follow up, but not too soon after the sale
Sacramento Business Journal - by Bill "Guerrilla" Gallagher, Ph.D.

I'm often asked when should a salesperson follow up with a new customer for future sales and referrals. The guerrilla rule is: When you've sold something, when you have the signed check or signed contract, get the heck out of there.

Of course, thank them for their confidence in you and in your company. Tell them, honestly, that they've made a good decision. Then leave.

Do not have another cup of coffee and chat about the poor season the Giants are having and, maybe, pick up a referral or two. Go. Leave.

Making a decision to buy anything of value is stressful. Give your new customer the peace and quiet to think about that good decision to do business with you, without your presence.

So, when do you call back for referrals and future sales? There are two occasions when you must follow up.

The first is when the product or service is first delivered or first received. Your job is to make sure that it is being delivered as ordered and as sold. This is your only job. Do not ask for referrals or mention future selling opportunities at this first follow-up meeting. Just make damn sure the product shows up the way it was bought. Should there be any problems offer to fix them, at your expense, today. (Period!)

There are no exceptions to this. If this gets too expensive, you may need to represent another firm. Seriously.

The second follow-up opportunity is more than one week and less than one month from the date of purchase. Sometime in the first 30 days after buying, but not in the first seven days. Got it?

This period of time, according to my marketing mentor, Jay Conrad Levinson, is called "the time of supreme customer satisfaction." This is when they are the most pleased. This is also the time when they'll be showing it to friends, family and neighbors. After a month or so, as with anything else, they get used to it, or bored with it, or a bit tired of it. (This may be true of our new relationships as well?)

So, call them back a few weeks after the sale, "just to make sure everything's A-OK. Our Model 2 is due out next year, can I keep you on my list?" And, "By the way, have you had a chance to show this little baby to someone special?" And "Tell me about that..."

I think you can pick up the conversation from here. But just in case you're stuck, here are a few suggestions to get some referrals. Memorize the following sentence. "If you were me, who would you call on next?"

Here's another winner for referrals. "Who do you know who...?" The space is filled in with descriptions of people who typically buy from you. "Who do you know who just got married, just bought a new home, just had a baby, just won the lottery...?"

This line of questions will help people recall others when "Can you give me a few referrals?" doesn't bring anyone to mind.

Follow up. It'll pay big dividends.

Bill Gallagher is head of Guerrilla Sales & Marketing in Diamond Springs and co-author of "Guerrilla Selling." For more information on the topics and ideas in this column, call (800) 800-8086 or send e-mail to bguerrilla@aol.com. Send marketing questions to The Business Journal, 1401 21st St., Sacramento 95814.

What to spend on marketing

From: http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/1996/11/11/smallb3.html

Friday, November 8, 1996

What to spend on marketing
Sacramento Business Journal - by Bill "Guerrilla" Gallagher, Ph.D.

You wouldn't be reading this column if you didn't suspect how important marketing is. Fortunately, since you're already a guerrilla, your marketing won't be all that costly. In fact, most guerrilla sales and marketing techniques won't cost you anything.

Still, you need to invest in your own business, and this investment needs to be in your marketing as much as you can possibly afford. Maybe a little bit more, but not too much more, OK?

Now, I know those clever folks from Dean Witter and Prudential-Bache call you every week with the idea that you ought to put some percentage of your income into CDs, stocks, T-bills or mutual funds. This is a fine idea and you'll probably earn a good return on your investment with them. However, this same money invested in marketing your own firm should yield a much much higher return.

So, here's where to spend a few bucks: Set up an account where you pay yourself something like 5 to 10 percent of your gross for marketing, and then spend the balance on your current bills.

I know this sounds a bit wacky or just impossible to some of you. But I assure you that I'm right on the money. Coca Cola, Pepsi and Procter & Gamble spend -- er, invest -- more than 20 percent of their gross on marketing. Are they wrong? No!

Marketing pays off. Big time. And if you'll hire a marketing consultant for a few hours, he or she can show you the way to get the most bang for your marketing bucks.

For example, did you know that you can get a color printing job for a big reduction in cost by knowing the shop's printing schedule? Our local Minute Man Press shop has a different reduced color each day of the week.

Should you not be interested in the daily colors, ask about climbing in on someone else's "gang run." Your printer will explain how you can save some more marketing bucks. Just remember "gang run."

Set up a budget for marketing your business. Spend that money wisely. You'll be the winner! Guaranteed!

Bill Gallagher is head of Guerrilla Sales & Marketing in Diamond Springs and co-author of "Guerrilla Selling." For more information on the topics and ideas in this column, call (800) 800-8086 or send e-mail to bguerrilla@aol.com. If you have a marketing question, send it to The Business Journal, 1401 21st St., Sacramento 95814.

The seven steps to marketing commitment

From: http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/1996/11/04/smallb6.html?t=printable

Friday, November 1, 1996

The seven steps to marketing commitment
Sacramento Business Journal - by Bill "Guerrilla" Gallagher, Ph.D.

It has been several weeks since I have written about your critical commitment to marketing your business. I must remind you that 62 percent of all of the 750,000-plus businesses that start up each year in North America are out of business after four years. I don't want yours to be one of them. Just in case this is the first and only guerrilla column you're ever going to read, here's the cold truth:

Note: This information is critical for your business. CRITICAL!

The U.S. Department of Commerce tells us that the main reason most businesses fail is because of a failure to focus enough energy on marketing. If I don't hear about you (i.e., your marketing), I won't know how to buy from you. And, you'll be out of business. Bummer!

In your new business, you or someone close to you in your organization must be committed to marketing your firm's products and services.

Remember, marketing means everything from conceiving of a new product or service to packaging it, promoting it, selling it, delivering it and holding on to new customers so that they will buy from you again and again.

As an entrepreneur, you must be committed to marketing. All of your employees must be aware of your marketing commitment. How? If you're sharp, you will have developed it together with them.

Your firm's commitment to marketing can be found in your Guerrilla Marketing Plan. This is not some huge document. Because it's guerrilla, it's short and sweet. Maybe seven or fewer sentences long.

Your Guerrilla Marketing Plan must include five critical identity elements which are each a refinement of one another. Also included are your Marketing Calendar and your Marketing Budget.

1. The benefit(s) to the consumer. For example: "Our product(s) and service make our customers look better, be more successful, feel safer, be more liked by others, and forever free from pain."

2. Your positioning: What business are you in? For example: "We are a unique gourmet grocery store stocking over 10,000 speciality items, located in the upscale, swank village of Diamond Springs."

3. Your target market. "Our marketing is targeted at 20- to 40-year-old, middle-class women with interests in poetry, fine food, cats and piano sonatas."

4. Your niche within that market. "We will be the most expensive and best exercise facility in town. To support this, we will have the best looking male and female sports trainers in the county."

5. Your list of marketing tools and techniques. For example: "Marketing tools to be employed will include:

• Newspaper ads run weekly in three papers.

• A window display that changes weekly.

• Numerous signs inside that merchandise and cross-merchandise.

• A co-op yellow pages ad.

• Quarterly theme open-house parties (e.g., Super Bowl, blow-up sumo wrestling contest, adult Halloween spook alley).

• Quarterly seminars or lectures.

• Local cable TV ad campaign.

• Local talk-radio advertising.

• Postcard mailings every two months.

• Brochure.

• A catalog.

• A one-time "big" magazine ad.

• Tie-ins with all local dealers.

• Access to co-op funds."

6. A month-by-month implementation timetable or marketing calendar.

For example:

Tool JAN. FEB. MAR.

NPR Ads Window Signs Greetings Cable TV

7. Your marketing budget. A good rule of thumb is 7 percent to 10 percent of gross sales.

Bill Gallagher is head of Guerrilla Sales & Marketing in Diamond Springs and co-author of "Guerrilla Selling." For more information on the topics and ideas in this column, call (800) 800-8086 or send e-mail to bguerrilla@aol.com.

Candidate Dole's slogan just doesn't do it

From: http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/1996/10/28/smallb3.html?t=printable

Friday, October 25, 1996
Candidate Dole's slogan just doesn't do it

Sacramento Business Journal - by Bill "Guerrilla" Gallagher, Ph.D.

One of the most powerful marketing slogans these days is, of course, Nike's "Just do it." In the first presidential debate between Bill Clinton and Bob Dole, I heard Sen. Dole encourage drug users: "Just don't do it." This wasn't his first use of that phrase. Earlier he had said it was his anti-drug message to America's youth.

Hmmm.

As much as I admire the former Senate majority leader from Kansas, as a marketing specialist I think his suggestion is a bit lame. Here's why:

Nike has spent a lot of money and effort on developing and promoting its positive, albeit double entendre, message of endless possibilities with the purchase of a pair of sneakers. Its message, targeted at the youthful sports-minded, hip market, works because of its imaginative, titillating subconscious communication.

Guerrillas will remember that no one ever makes a conscious buying decision. All purchase decisions are made by the subconscious mind. Winning marketing requires that your favorable purchase-message get through the layers of the mind to the subconscious. The easiest way to do this is to have a non-offensive, positive message repeated enough times to get through.

This is how Michael Jackson, in his heyday, sold Pepsi by the millions of gallons when, in fact, he hated the stuff. He just danced and sang over and over again things about the Pepsi generation, whatever that was. It was fun, exciting, youthful, and it made a major dent in the sales of Coke, which at the same time was shouting as loud as the could, "Coke is it."

Is this "it" the same "it" as in "Just do it"?

The really cool thing about the word "it" is that it can mean anything and everything the hearer wishes. If "it" didn't exist as a word in English, I think we marketers would have invented it long ago. It's a great marketing word for all ad copy and slogans.

The 20-year-old slogan of the U.S. Army is wonderful for the same great reasons discussed above. It is positive, hopeful, nonspecific, imaginative and exciting (especially to late teens). "Be all that you can be in the Army."

Now Nike has good reason to hope Bob Dole loses. The new Republican fall guy has unveiled his slogan for his anti-drug campaign: "Just don't do it." Besides being an uninspired swipe of Nike's motto, its message is negative. This is a big no-no in the ad business. Worse, he's aiming this message at the same crowd who has wholeheartedly supported Nike's message with billions of shoe purchases, worldwide. And not just shoes; they are buying posters, T-shirts, sweat shirts and a host of other related paraphernalia with its logo and positive message emblazoned everywhere.

That makes for a tough fight for the GOP.

Bad idea, Sen. Dole. Just don't do it. Next time you need a slogan, call in a Guerrilla.

Bill Gallagher is head of Guerrilla Sales & Marketing in Diamond Springs and co-author of "Guerrilla Selling." For more information, call (800) 800-8086 or send e-mail to bguerrilla@aol.com. If you have a marketing question, send it to The Business Journal, 1401 21st St., Sacramento 95814.

Sell like Columbo, not like James Bond

From: http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/1996/10/14/smallb5.html?t=printable

Friday, October 11, 1996
Sell like Columbo, not like James Bond

Sacramento Business Journal - by Bill "Guerrilla" Gallagher, Ph.D.

When many people first hear the word "guerrilla" they think of terrorists. They suppose that guerrilla sales and marketing might be rock 'em-sock 'em, beat-'em-up selling.

Nothing could be further from the truth. This is not high pressure. This is not even low-pressure; this is no-pressure selling and marketing.

In spite of its militaristic sounding title, guerrilla is about being unconventional, unorthodox, not about being more powerful or spending more money than your competition.

Do you remember history's first guerrillas? There may have been others, but we think of George Washington's soldiers, hiding behind the trees, with mud smeared on their faces, waiting for their best shot. All this while the British in classical military form lined up shoulder to shoulder, in red coats, waiting for the enemy to appear.

As you remember, Washington won that war by not fighting as the British fought. He learned how to be a "guerrilla." This word comes from the Spanish for "little warrior."

Most of us small-business people are not big, powerful military battalions with mammoth war chests for our marketing. We're "little warriors" with limited budgets. We must learn how to fight the battle from behind the trees, with a little mud on our faces, waiting for the best shot. This is why you read this column every week. You're looking for those few weekly tips which will give you the edge, allowing you to beat the competition without spending a lot of extra bucks on marketing.

So, guerrilla selling and guerrilla marketing is not about using the latest techo-gadgetry, although we recommend personal computers and modems. It's not about beating up your your competition or your customers.

This is not the James Bond theory of sales or marketing. This is more of the Columbo school of thought. We visualize Peter Falk, as Columbo, asking lots of questions. "Hmmm, just one other thing, ma'am, when did you first realize that you needed. ...?"

The big secret here is: Ask more questions. When you think you've asked a lot of questions, ask a few more. When you're sure that you've asked too many questions, ask at least three more. Make sure that you totally and completely understand your customer's wants and needs. When you're sure that you've got it 100 percent complete, ask a few more questions.

OK, when you're completely sure, just ask two more questions. Ask 'em for me. Ask 'em for you.

Bill Gallagher is head of Guerrilla Sales & Marketing in Diamond Springs and co-author of "Guerrilla Selling." For more information on the topics and ideas in this column, call (800) 800-8086 or send e-mail to bguerrilla@aol.com. If you have a marketing question, send it to The Business Journal, 1401 21st St., Sacramento 95814.

When being a bonehead pays off

From: http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/1996/10/07/smallb3.html?t=printable

Friday, October 4, 1996

When being a bonehead pays off
Sacramento Business Journal
- by Bill "Guerrilla" Gallagher, Ph.D

I was about to complete one of the biggest sales of my life.

Most of the preliminary meetings had taken place. I knew they needed our software and our computers. In fact, I knew that the government required that they had to provide adequate and uniform training for their employees.

We had a good answer, but it would cost nearly half a million dollars!

I now had an appointment with the senior VP to take care of the paperwork. I was pretty sure of myself, but just to make sure I gave the "right" impression, for this occasion I went out and bought myself a $250 Mont Blanc fountain pen.

In my usual guerrilla fashion, I started asking Mr. Big some questions relative to our proposed solution.

Then I said to him, again in good guerrilla form, "That sounds important, do you mind if I take some notes?" He said, "No."

So I whipped out my Mont Blanc and started to write.

Well, you can imagine my embarrassment when it wouldn't write. Two hundred and fifty bucks and it wouldn't write a thing.

You see, I forgot that fountain pens don't come with ink like ballpoints do. What a bonehead!

In my embarrassment I said something like, "Damn, my pen's out of ink." To which he replied, "Oh, here, use mine," handing me his 24-karat gold Cross pen commemorating his 25 years with the firm. I said, "Thanks," took his pen, and the meeting continued. "As you were saying ..."

The whole exchange took less than three seconds, and yet in those few moments something magical happened.

The whole rather formal, somewhat guarded, atmosphere which had existed changed. Suddenly everyone relaxed. It was as if I now wasn't someone to be feared. They could now lower their guard a bit and open up more. Maybe I could be trusted.

Oh, and I did get the sale.

I still use that pen on sales calls. I've never put any ink in it! I do carry a backup pen in case the customer's pen doesn't work either.

Now you may think I appear unprofessional with a pen that's out of ink. But think about it for a minute.

Think how intimidating it would have looked if, upon discovering the condition of my dry pen, I'd opened up my suit coat and there were 15 shiny steel pens of various sizes and shapes in my inside pocket.

Instead, I allowed the boss to get me out of a slightly embarrassing situation, one that can and does happen to people all the time.

Later, I learned the psychological principle that one way to powerful and trustworthy interpersonal relationships is to allow someone to help you, assist you, give you something.

But at the time, all I had in my armory was a dud pen.

Bill Gallagher is head of Guerrilla Sales & Marketing in Diamond Springs and co-author of "Guerrilla Selling." For more information on the topics and ideas in this column, call (800) 800-8086 or send e-mail to bguerrilla@aol.com.

Looking Good is a Big Customer Motivator

From: http://www.talkbiz.com/digest/emt2a.html

Guerrilla Sales & Marketing:
Looking Good is a Big Customer Motivator

by Bill "Guerrilla" Gallagher, Ph.D.

Marketing is strange, mysterious, at times unexplainable. Well, not really. But from the outsider's view it must appear somewhat puzzling.

In order for you to take advantage of its "weirdness" and become a guerrilla marketer we need to look at some insider marketing secrets. We're doing this so that you can see what's going on and create better, more effective marketing strategies for your small business. Let me share a few examples with you.

Pick up a recent copy of some major magazines designed for specific markets. Look at the latest copies of Vogue, Playboy, Mademoiselle, George, or Parade. Picture, if you will, some recent mega high priced marketing advertising pieces we've seen in these magazines. A close analysis will reveal some secrets you can use to be much more effective in your next local newspaper display ad.

Let's look at an ad together. Here's one for a Cadillac Allante. Cadillac probably has mega bucks for advertising, right? Right.

Okay, so the first thing we see is a steering wheel. There are hands on the steering wheel of this way-cool red convertible, and, guess what? It's following another identical red convertible. Hmmm, what are they trying to get across here?

First of all, take another look at the hands. Are those male or female hands? You don't know. That's because they're designed to be any hands. Actually they're designed to be your hands.

This is you driving this great car. Now take a look at the car you're following. Why, it's exactly the same car. Why are you pictured following this car? Because they want to show you how great you will look when others see you driving, specifically when others see how it looks to follow you! The marketing message: "In this car, you will look great to others."

The marketing specialists at Cadillac know that no one buys anything because of the specific features or even because of the benefits to them from that product. People buy things, primarily, because those things will make them look good.

You see, in our North American culture, looking good is much more important than even feeling good. Did you hear this: In our culture, looking good is much more important than feeling good.

To illustrate this major truth, how many of us regularly spend a lot of time, money, and effort on disguising a facial blemish while ignoring a painful canker sore inside our mouths? Most of us.

One major truth about our culture is that we would rather look good than feel good. Remember this important marketing truth and communicate it to your customers and potential customers.

"With our product, you'll look great." Get that message across and again and you'll be far ahead of the competition.


© 1995 W.K. Gallagher, Ph.D.


Bill Gallagher is the author of the best seller "Guerrilla Selling". You can view more articles by the author at the Guerrilla Marketing Site.

As a convenience to our readers, for more information on the topics and ideas presented in this article please call Guerrilla Sales & Marketing at 1-800-800-8086.

Inexpensive & Unconventional Tools & Tactics to Increase Your Small Business Sale

From: http://www.talkbiz.com/digest/emt2.html

Guerrilla Sales & Marketing
Inexpensive & Unconventional Tools & Tactics to Increase Your Small Business Sales

by Bill "Guerrilla" Gallagher, Ph.D.
co-author of the Guerrilla Business Book Series

New book offers tactics to dramatically boost your sales

So why do we need a book on sales and marketing? A fair question with an easy answer.

Nearly every year for the past 10 years over 850,000 folks across North America get that entrepreneurial spirit and start up a new business. No kidding, three-quarters of a million new businesses are begun each and every year. Wonderful news! Yes, but the sad part of this news is that, after four years, 62 percent of them are out-of-business!

The US Department of Commerce wanted to know why. After all the government was losing potential tax revenue and many taxpayers are going broke. After a thorough review and much field research it was found that the failing businesses all had three things in common:

1. Poor financial planning
2. Poor marketing
3. Poor sale skills.
The US Small Business Administration. in a study completed in 1992, concluded: "For most businesses marketing is critical, vital. If you don't market the odds are your business will fail."

This column will not be dealing with financial issues. There are others who have and will take up that calling. Over the next series of columns, we will be discussing marketing and sales issues as they pertain to making your small business succeed, big time!

First of all some critical definitions.

"Marketing" relates to everything you do with a product or a service to get it sold again and again to your consumers. It's a pretty big field, much bigger than most business people think. Most entrepreneurial folks figure that if they can put together a descent yellow-page ad they've got their marketing pretty much down. Not so. Advertising, including the yellow-pages, is about two percent of your marketing. Of course, it's a very important, and fairly expensive, "two percent," but it's a small fraction of the other critical marketing tools and techniques we'll be discussing in this chapters.

By the way, many of the guerrilla tools and techniques will cost you nothing. With the others, we'll show you how to save major dollars by being smart. We call it "guerrilla" enlightenment. For example, when advertising in this newspaper don't ever be fooled by the myth of the ad rate card. No guerrilla ever pays rate card rates. Ad rates are negotiated. Now aren't you glad you read this chapters?

"Sales" and "selling" are another very important two percent of your marketing. They refer to the face-to-face or telephone communication between you and/or your staff with customers and potential customers. Again, many small business owners decide that if they can say, "Hi, can I help you?" and, following the sale, "Have a nice day," they've got selling handled. Again, not so.

"Guerrilla" for us means, not doing it the way everybody else does it. Not doing your marketing and selling with the force of the big bucks those Fortune 500 people have at their discretion. For example, do you have $8 million to spend on some frogs croaking out your business name for the next thirty days? We thought not.

Unconventional guerrilla tactics will work wonders for your small business. It's less expensive and demonstrably more effective. It's learning a bit more, it's getting the edge. In today's market, it's winning by a millisecond. Nevertheless, Winning!

We regularly see a 50 to 200% increase in the gross sales of firms who adopt the guerrilla philosophy and the unorthodox guerrilla marketing tactics we recommend.


Read The First Segment

© 1995 W.K. Gallagher, Ph.D.

Bill Gallagher is the author of the best seller "Guerrilla Selling". You can view more articles by the author at the Guerrilla Marketing Site.

As a convenience to our readers, for more information on the topics and ideas presented in this article please call Guerrilla Sales & Marketing at 1-800-800-8086