About four times a year I fly to Chicago and visit with my
extended family which includes catching up with my "Uncle Lou."
Uncle Lou has sold just about everything under the sun at least
once during his 50-odd years in sales. He's funny and street
smart and has great stories.
Uncle Lou has a big heart and I love him but he and I just don't
see eye-to-eye on our definition of "effective" when it comes
to sales and marketing.
This became evident during a recent visit when my uncle asked me
about "Guerrilla Marketing."
Uncle Lou was as excited as I'd ever seen him about anything
I'd ever done work-wise. He had finally visited my website and
was intrigued by "this guerrilla marketing stuff you're
doing."
My uncle's latest enterprise was brokering used construction
equipment and thought I'd have some ideas about how he could
rapidly expand and make lots of money fast.
"You've always been a bright kid," he told me.
Quick Detour: What is Guerrilla Marketing?
"Guerrilla Marketing" is a term coined by Jay Conrad Levinson
in his 1984 book: Guerrilla Marketing: Secrets for Making Big
Profits for Your Small Business.
The term is a spin on "Guerrilla Warfare," war tactics used by
small, often indigenous armies fighting larger, better equipped
invaders.
Guerrilla fighters depend on their knowledge of local terrain,
ties with local communities, stealth, and cunning to outsmart and
outlast their enemies.
Similarly, guerrilla marketing is about using creativity,
networks, and close customer contacts to market more effectively
and less expensively than big corporate competitors.
Small businesses can't afford marketing in which the end goal is "awareness" or "share of mind"; small business marketing
goals are results and profit.
Yes, Guerrilla Marketing is About the Bottom Line
It's easy to understand why my uncle was excited about guerrilla
marketing. Uncle Lou is a "send me qualified leads and I'll
close the sale" kind of guy.
Now if I hadn't know my uncle for so many years I would have
immediately gotten pissed off at him for perpetuating the "hard-sell used-car salesman" reputation.
But I knew my uncle wasn't trying to scam anyone or push them
into buying something they didn't want. He honestly feels he's
helping his customers by pushing them to make a decision which
was in their best interest. And my uncle counts a lot of
customers as friends.
So when Uncle Lou asked me for my ideas around using guerrilla
marketing tactics to get more qualified leads, I knew I wasn't
going to tell him what he expected but felt my explanation might
still be helpful.
My Take on Guerrilla Marketing, Don't Forget Your Heart
I agree, absolutely, with the idea that guerrilla marketing is
about choosing marketing activities that produce measurable
results. And, yes, for sure, it's got to be about profitability.
Where Uncle Lou and I part ways is about the role of the business
owner's heart and passion in marketing.
The reason guerrilla marketing is so powerful as a small business
tactic is because we small business owners have the unique
advantage of one-on-one connection with our customers and
clients.
When's the last time you had a heart-to-heart with the CEO of
Wal-Mart or 3M? While I see some large companies finding ways to
connect and help their customers feel seen, they simply cannot
duplicate what small business owners can do.
Part of the connection is sharing what we, as small business
owners, care deeply about. We provide solutions to our customers,
yes. But we also give our customers opportunities to feel seen
and to express what they care about.
Now let's look at another business owner who is also selling
used construction equipment. Let's call this business owner,
Dave.
Like Uncle Lou, Dave is interested in the bottom line. When he
spends money on marketing, it's with the desire that his market
leads to new customers and more sales.
Unlike Uncle Lou, Dave got into his business because he wanted to
support sustainability in the construction industry. Dave saw a
lot of waste and it bothered him. He decided to contribute to
solving the problem.
Dave likes the fact that he helps his customers get a good deal
and he really likes the fact that in addition to helping
customers get the equipment they need, the success of his
business means:
He can give back to his local community.
He can donate what he can't sell to a non-profit organization
that reuses or recycles components.
In a small way he's helping the earth by renewing what might
otherwise end up in a landfill.
In addition to running ads, Dave's marketing includes:
Presenting at trade schools and engineering schools.
Producing short videos he runs on youtube.
A leadership role in the U.S. Green Building Council.
Sponsoring a local high school team to participate in an annual "Low Impact Development" national contest.
I used Dave as a concrete example to illustrate to my uncle how
substituting some creativity and sweat equity enabled Dave to get
the word out about his company, services, and attract customers
who not only needed a good deal...they wanted to contribute to
something they truly care about.
"Well," said my uncle, "that's interesting and all but
that's just not my style. I'm not against helping my community
or saving the earth. I just don't have the time."
"That's cool," I said, "It's your business and you call the
shots. Mostly I wanted to clarify that the guerrilla marketing I
help clients with is for sure about getting results but part of
the reason my clients get results is because they consciously
choose marketing activities that reflect what they care about."
Bottom Line
The conversation I had with my uncle was not about convincing him
that my way of marketing was better than his. It was to clarify a
common idea that guerrilla marketing is about strong-arm,
no-holds barred marketing tactics.
Yes there's a common focus on getting results but I see the more
subtle values-centered, relationship building activities as
ultimately more powerful than simply telling people you have the
best solution for the money.
By all means, tell them you offer a great solution and tell
them-- better yet--show them why you cared enough to offer the
solution to begin with.
Judy Murdoch helps small business owners create low-cost,
effective marketing campaigns using word-of-mouth referrals,
guerrilla marketing activities, and selected strategic alliances.
To download a free copy of the workbook, "Where Does it Hurt?
Marketing Solutions to the problems that Drive Your Customers
Crazy!" go to http://www.judymurdoch.com/workbook.htm.
You can contact Judy at 303-475-2015 or [email protected].
