Book Review: Guerrilla Marketing for Consultants

Author: Jay Conrad Levinson and Michael McLaughlin
Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
Year Published: 2004
Rating:
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In a world where competition is fierce, few barriers to entry exist, and only about 1/3 of all clients report being satisfied, consultants – defined as anyone who ‘offers professional advice or services for a fee’ – can have a tough time growing their business. Luckily, Levinson and McLauchlin have written an arsenal of tools for consultants who need a helping hand.

So what is guerrilla marketing? The authors explain:

Guerrilla marketing extends beyond selling and completing projects – it applies to everything you do. Your firm’s name, its services, methods of delivering services, pricing plan, the location of your office, and how you promote your practice are all part of guerrilla marketing. And there is much more, including the clients with whom you choose to work, how you answer the telephone, even how you design your invoices and envelopes. The object of guerilla marketing is to build and maintain profitable relationships, not merely to get clients.

Taking it a step further, they explain that you are the product. To succeed, you must deliver what you promise. Your success lies in the value provide, the results you get, and the relationships you build.

The book is divided into three main parts and a final summary chapter. In Part 1, the authors provide a crash course in guerrilla marketing. In it, they explain common misconceptions about marketing, why you need a marketing plan, and what types of differentiators you can use to set your services apart from your competitors. Even if you only read their two lists: ‘Eight differentiators that don’t work’ and ‘Nine differentiators that do work,’ you’ll get your money out of this very informative book.

Why do I say that? Because virtually every service professional tries to set themselves apart by claiming ‘quality service’ or ‘fast response.’ These terms are meaningless. People expect that if they hire you, you’re not going to rip them off and you will respond promptly to their needs. The best way to differentiate your services: Don’t tell them ‘what’ you do. Show them ‘how’ you do it and what it’s like to work with you.

In Part 2, the authors explain the basics of marketing yourself through various tactics. Each chapter focuses on a specific marketing tool like websites, ezines, speaking, publicity, and writing and includes the pros and cons of using that tool the amount of effort you need to put in to make it successful.

Here, the focus is on providing value. Too many service professionals want a cookie cutter website or an off-the-shelf ezine. Unfortunately, those won’t help you differentiate yourself from everyone else. Remember, you’re the product here. It’s up to you to build relationships with people and show them that you can do what you say. Marketing is about creating trust between you and your audience. That takes time and ongoing communication, not just a snazzy brochure or pretty website design.

Part 3 focuses on selling your services. While most books on services marketing gloss over the topic, Levinson and McLaughlin devote 5 chapters to doing it right. Here, the focus is on picking the right projects to work on, writing a winning proposal, and setting your fees. Remember, your goal isn’t just to get clients. It’s to get profitable clients. As the authors remind us:

The sales cycle for landing consulting projects can take weeks, or even months. During that period, clients routinely ask consultants to submit proposal materials, supply references, make presentations, and attend meetings. These efforts can be costly and time consuming, and they can interfere with your work on profitable engagements with other clients. So before you compete for business, objectively evaluate each opportunity.

Personally, I think one of the biggest wastes of time is to respond to those dreaded RFPs that come your way. You know – the ones from companies you’ve never talked to, which list pages of requirements for the project. Most of the time, they just scream ‘we already have our mind made up about someone else, but we need a few numbers to show the boss.’ Yet, so many people jump at the opportunity to submit one more proposal – even if they don’t really have a shot at winning the contract… or the prospect isn’t really looking to buy just yet (if ever)… or the solution isn’t really what the company needs to solve the underlying problem.

The book also has a helpful endnotes section and a wonderful reference guide filled with books to read, online resources to check out, and organizations to join.

If you’re a consultant, this is the one book on marketing you should pick up. I’ve read it cover to cover 3 times in the last year (and I rarely re-read books) and I recommend it to my coaching clients as the quick start guide to marketing your services. It’s a great, big picture overview filled with practical advice and tips.

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