In this spirit, here are nine fundamental strategies of Guerrilla Marketing. Embrace them all and you'll be a success. Miss just one and you could be an also-ran in your industry. And be sure to ask your counselor how you can incorporate effective promotional products into the mix.

Time, Energy And Imagination

Instead of relying on money, power or brute force, guerrillas rely on brain power. You may be facing competition with a marketing budget larger than your entire annual sales. You could fret about a lack of funds, unless you realize that you'll never be out-spent on time, energy and imagination.

Everyone has the same number of hours in the day. Guerrillas maximize the time they spend in contact with customers and prospects because that's where the money is. Take this principle into account when you select what promotional products to use. What can you select that creates an impact and saves precious time for your prospect? Perhaps it's a tool that delivers a short-cut, such as a slide rule or a cross-reference table. Maybe it's combination pen-highlighter for rapidly notating your catalog.

Guerrillas also maximize their personal energy. Vince Lombardi observed: "Fatigue makes cowards of us all." You can create a winning edge when you eat right, rest well and care for your body. Healthy living is in, so consider this concept when approaching your prospects. Select a logoed stress-reliever, massage tool, nutrition bar or water bottle as your product. Finally, as Einstein pointed out: "Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world." Given this, guerrillas often choose to abandon common knowledge and invent their own rules and outcomes. Could you imagine doubling your business over the next year? If you can, you've taken the first step to actually getting there. Try this: Grab your calendar and look at today's date a year from now. Imagine yourself heading out to a companywide celebration because business has doubled from the year before. Take a moment to review what you did that allowed you to achieve that. Sure, you'll have to use your imagination to figure it out, and in the process the wonderful ideas you'll create will help you get where you're going.

Psychology, Not Guesswork

Around 1880, retail genius John Wanamaker said, "I know that half of my advertising is wasted - I just don't know which half." The good news is that now we can track what works and what doesn't, so we no longer have to guess. In the 1970s, 75% or more of marketing budgets went into advertising. Now, because of lead tracking and analysis, 25% percent or less of the average budget is directed to advertising, about 50% goes to trade promotions and another 25% gets spent on consumer promotions, with a substantial proportion of the budget moving to online marketing.

Guerrillas use practical, applied psychology to decide how to approach prospects and motivate customers. They learn about and stop doing what prospects dislike. They discover and do more of what motivates customers. Here's how: Most businesspeople ask customers, "How is everything?" The answer is usually, "Fine," which tells you nothing. Instead, ask customers, "What one thing can I do to improve your experience doing business with us?" Then listen. Don't make excuses; your customer is telling you a secret to increasing your business.

The Only Yardstick Of Success

Often, advertising execs will discourse about exposure or cost per thousand impressions. Knowing that they can't eat exposure or imbibe impressions, guerrillas judge the quality of a marketing campaign solely by the profits generated.

Gear To Small Business

Entrepreneurs are natural-born guerrillas. They apply these ideas without a second thought. Small businesses can, in fact, do certain things large corporations can't. For example, they can base their marketing on listening to customers instead of being driven by an ivory tower marketing department.

No Mystique

Successful guerrilla marketing doesn't require an advanced degree, a huge research budget or a committee of experts. All you need is information from people who buy or who want to buy. Your marketing strategy can be as simple as promising prospects what they want and guaranteeing against what they don't. The principles of successful marketing are simple, but they require diligence and work. Marketing isn't an event; it's a process that continues as long as you're in business.

Marketing Combinations Work

There's no single marketing method that works all the time or for everyone. There are great prospects who won't listen to the radio, don't accept telephone sales calls, or would never consider reading direct mail. Marketing combinations do work, however, and promotional products are definitely part of the mix.

The most potent products remind people who you are and how to reach you when the need arises. For example, refrigerator magnets that advertise pizza delivery or appliance repair services show up in the right place at the right time. Tools and other useful items are in your prospect's hand when they need you.

You can also use product samples as premiums. Estee Lauder uses this approach with great success. Its products never go on sale, maintaining margins and positioning value. But when you purchase $25 worth of product, you receive a gift bag worth $50 that contains peewee-size samples. How can anyone pass up a deal like that - especially if the bag they're in is imprinted?