I was really looking forward to reading "Guerrilla Marketing In 30 Days" by Jay Conrad Levinson and Al Lautenslager.
I believe small business owners need an action focused guide to systematically implementing the Guerrilla Marketing concepts.
You can tell from my two star rating (now up graded to three stars) that I was bitterly disappointed in Guerrilla Marketing in 30 Days.
My Dilemma About Guerrilla Marketing In 30 Days
I am a big believer in the Guerrilla Marketing ideas and I have struggled with Guerrilla Marketing In 30 Days for the last six weeks.
I had decided that I wasn't going to review it on the basis of "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all" which is a good philosophy for life.
The problem is that this is the Guerrilla Marketing book I have probably seen most often in book shops in the UK.
The book looks very convincing in the shop as "A Blueprint for Great Marketing" and with complimentary feedback from three highly rated and popular authors - Stephen Covey, Jack Canfield and Guy Kawasaki, it is a compelling "buy".
The simple truth is that I don't want you to waste your money buying it or your time reading it.
My Confession
The clue is in the title.
Thirty days equals thirty chapters and I have only managed to stomach reading the first twelve chapters and skimmed the remainder, dipping in occasionally.
The writing is that bad and it is in a very different style to Jay Conrad Levinson's classic "Guerrilla Marketing" (see my 5 star review of Guerrilla Marketing Fourth Edition). I have since heard Jay Levinson confess that he does little in his co-written books so this is down to Al Lautenslager.
What Do The Amazon Reviewers Think?
There have been 18 reviews to date on Amazon.com and to my amazement 14 have awarded the book 5 stars so they are clearly seeing merits in the book that I don't.
I have more sympathy for the reviewer who said that in 3 months he'd managed to read 3 chapters and doesn't intend to waste his time on the remaining 27 (a three star review from a very kind man). One of the 2 star reviewers described the writing as "so bad it's uncomfortable" also struck a chord.
If You Want To Implement Guerrilla Marketing On A Tight Budget
The appeal of this book is the focus on action for people who want to move from the theory into seeing the improved results Guerrilla Marketing will bring for their business.
So as an alternative (it will cost more but yield far more benefits than a book you can't read) I recommend you:
- Buy "Guerrilla Marketing Fourth Edition" by Jay Conrad Levinson (Amazon Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com)
- Buy the "Guerrilla Marketing Toolkit" (also known as the Guerrilla Marketing Jumpstart Program) which is a much more practical multi-media six week program for implementing Guerrilla Marketing in your business. This comes with a 100% money back guarantee and features Al Lautenslager in the coaching recordings.
- Commit to joining the Guerrilla Marketing Association as soon as you start seeing how well the Guerrilla Marketing ideas work. This is Jay Conrad Levinson's subscription site which is absolutely packed with great marketing resources and even gives you a free 30 day trial (at the time of writing.)
Conclusion
It may be harsh but turn away from "Guerrilla Marketing In 30 Days" but turn towards Guerrilla Marketing.
The quality standard has not been maintained in this co-authored book and it is a concern I have with several of the other Guerrilla Marketing books as well.
I really don't want you to get the wrong impression of Guerrilla Marketing because of one poor experience.
At its best, Guerrilla Marketing (in the resources I am pointing you towards) is a very structured small business marketing solution which is proven to work for all kinds of different small businesses all over the world.
Guerrilla Marketing Not Guerilla Marketing
Incidentally beware of rip-off guerilla marketing and even gorilla marketing products. The official Jay Conrad Levinson Guerrilla Marketing has two Rs and two Ls although it has taken me some time to learn to type it consistently.
Update on Guerrilla Marketing In 30 Days - August 2008
Since I wrote this book review, I have found that i have gone back to "Guerrilla Marketing in 30 Days" a number of times to read a different interpretation of the Guerrilla Marketing ideas.
On reflection I was harsh in my two star rating and three stars is a fairer rating.
Guerrilla Marketing in 30 Days has survived a recent purge of my business library but I would still treat it with caution.
For Guerrilla Marketing beginners, I much prefer the "Startup Guide To Guerrilla Marketing".
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