Transcript GuerrillaMarketingForConsultants

Guerrilla Marketing for
Consultants
Thomas E. Long, President
Solid Oak Consulting, LLC
SolidOakConsulting.com
Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach
©2007, Solid Oak Consulting, LLC
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Topics For Today
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Introduction
What is Guerrilla Marketing?
Strategic Issues in Guerrilla Marketing
Why is Today Such a Challenge?
Guerrilla Marketing Tactics
Some Examples of Guerrilla Marketing
Weapons
©2007, Solid Oak Consulting, LLC
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What Is Guerrilla Marketing?
• “A company must learn to think of itself not as
producing goods and services but as buying,
creating and satisfying customers. This approach
should permeate every nook and cranny of the
organization.” Theodore Levitt, Marketing Myopia
• Marketing is everything you do to promote your
business, from the moment you conceive of it to
the point at which customers buy your product or
service and begin to patronize your business on a
regular basis. Jay Conrad Levinson, Guerrilla Marketing
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What is the Key To Guerrilla
Marketing?
It is a body of unconventional ways of pursuing conventional
goals. It is a proven method of achieving profits with
minimum money.
In the words of the Father of Guerrilla Marketing, Jay Conrad
Levinson, this describes guerrilla marketing:
“I'm referring to the soul and essence of guerrilla marketing
which remain as always -- achieving conventional goals,
such as profits and joy, with unconventional methods, such
as investing energy instead of money.”
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Customers vs. Clients?
• Customer per Merriam-Webster: one that
purchases a commodity or service
• Client: one that is under the protection of
another
• How do you treat those you sell – like a
customer or like a client?
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Strategy vs. Tactics?
• Strategic – work smarter
• Tactical – work harder
• 95% of all companies will not reach $1million in
sales
• 85% of companies fail in the first 5 years
• Can you double your sales by working twice as
hard?
• Do you have a clear identity for your company?
©2007, Solid Oak Consulting, LLC
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Challenge Today
• 1992 – 3,000 messages/day
• Today – 30,000 messages/day
• How can you rise above the noise and the
clutter?
• Since 1992 the cost of getting in front of a
prospect has tripled
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Buying Pyramid
Audience For Any Product/Service
4% Buying Now
6% Open To It
30% Not Thinking About It
30% Think They Are Not Interested
30% Definitely Not Interested
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What Are Your Strategic
Objectives?
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To have clients not customers?
Create desire?
To be most respected?
To build client loyalty?
What is your ‘long-range goal’?
What is you desired market position?
What is the strategic objective of each tactic?
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How Much Should I Spend On
Marketing?
• US average for all businesses is 4% of sales
revenue
• Some companies such as P&G spend more
than 30%
• What are you spending today?
• What can you afford to spend?
• What is it worth to you to get a new client?
©2007, Solid Oak Consulting, LLC
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Client Value
• Do you know the “lifetime value” for your
average client?
• How long does someone typically stay a client?
• How much does a typical client spend with you
each year?
• How much are you willing to invest to get a new
client?
• How much to keep an existing one?
©2007, Solid Oak Consulting, LLC
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Guerrilla Marketing Weapons
• Guerrilla Marketing identifies over 100
Marketing Weapons
• Most of the 100 are free or low cost
• Most business owners use fewer than 12 of
the weapons
• Even fewer track the effectiveness of their
weapons
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Key Weapons for Guerrilla
Marketing Consultants
• Competitive
AdvantageDifferentiation
• Follow-up
• Marketing Calendar
• Marketing Plan
• Free Consultations
• Website and Online
Presence
• Research
Studies/Surveys
• Public
Seminars/Lectures
• Testimonials/Case
Studies
• Write a Book
©2007, Solid Oak Consulting, LLC
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Competitive Advantage-Differentiation
Product/Service Benefits
• What benefit or benefits do clients derive
from your product or service?
• What is the difference between a benefit
and a product/service feature?
• Ultimately your client determines what
constitutes a benefit.
• How do you find out what your clients see
as benefits?
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Follow-Up
• This is the key to building long-term client
relationships.
• Do you have a standard process for followup with prospects and clients?
• How many different ways can you use to
follow-up?
• How often are you in contact with your
prospects and clients?
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Guerrilla Marketing Calendar
• What is it?
• Why use it?
• What is its ultimate value?
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The Seven Sentence Guerrilla
Marketing Plan
Write one sentence for each question below:
1. What is the purpose of your marketing?
2. What are the benefits of your product/service?
3. Who is your target audience?
4. What is your marketing niche?
5. What marketing weapons do you use (this may
take more than one sentence)?
6. What is your business identity?
7. What is your marketing budget?
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Free Consultations
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Free samples are better than “coupons”
You can limit the amount of time that is free
Real value must be delivered
It is also your chance to “test drive” the
client
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Website and Online Presence
• Study by the Information Technology Services Marketing
Association indicates that 77% of decision makers now
find service providers using the Web.
• Clients use the Web to make preliminary assessments of
consultants.
• Nearly 75% of buyers find consultants through their own
research on the Web not from contacts initiated by the
consultant.
• Your Web presence can establish you as a serious player –
or not.
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Research Studies/Surveys
• Just ask.
• This doesn’t require a specialist if you keep it
short.
• If you wish to make it a long survey, explain why
the data is needed.
• Check out Web resources such as Survey Monkey
• Do you need to have a reward for responding?
• If you are prepared to spend “real money”, hire a
pro for research and analysis.
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Public Seminars/Lectures
• The goal is to establish credibility, not sell
• Talk on what you know
• Get training/practice if you need it from
something like Toastmasters
• Package your topics – develop compelling
content
• Target organizations just as you would
target prospects
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Testimonials
• What is the value of a testimonial?
• How do you get client testimonials?
• Limit the number of testimonials on your
website.
• Consider posting a list of client for
prospects to call – they choose.
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Case Studies
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Tell a story not just facts.
Place client’s success (not yours) at the center.
Define the client’s problem.
Describe the solution emphasizing the role of the
client and their team.
• Don’t overstate results.
• Keep it short.
• If possible, provide access to a reference.
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Write A Book
• The 800-pound Gorilla for a Guerrilla
• Ideal book:
– Focuses on a topic you know cold
– Solves a problem
– Promotes the services you provide
• Traditional publishing vs. self-publishing
• Remember your book is a means, not an end
• Hire a writer if you need to.
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It’s Far Better to Implement One
Thing to Completion Than Ten
Things to 10%
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Questions?
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