A Monkey’s’ Fist is a special knot tied on the end of rope to give it weight. It is used on ships to either dock or tie up to another ship at sea. A sailor will stand on the deck of a ship, spin it around a few times over his head so it builds up speed, and then let it fly toward its intended target. Someone on the other end would take the rope and tie the ship off or pull it in. If the person on the other end was not paying attention, he ran the risk of being flattened by it since the knot actually weighed a few pounds. The point is the Monkey’s Fist is what connects the ship to this other entity.

So what does this have to do with Guerrilla Marketing?  Frank Bettger, in his classic book on selling, “How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling,” applies the concept to selling. Here is how it applies to Guerrilla Marketing in the 21^st century, how to both use it and protect yourself from being hit by it.

Here is how the Monkey’s Fist applies to business. The “ship” is your company, the “dock” is a prospect or even a customer of one of your competitors, and the Monkey’s Fist is a single product or service. Ideally this product or service is one that your competitor doesn’t offer, or is inferior to what you offer.  This is much more than a “foot in the door,” this is a conduit into that business where you start to build a solid relationship and the on-going possibility of expanding your presence. In the 21^st century it is virtually impossible for any one business to be able to provide all of the products and services their customers need. With that being the case it is much easier today to find a “Monkey’s Fist” that will get you into a competitor’s account.

Do you have a Monkey’s Fist? You have your core set of products and/or services; what can you add that will give you a point of differentiation?  If it is a competitor’s account, offer something they do not offer, find out what it is and be very good at it. Once you start perfecting this, move on more of your competitor’s accounts before they get wise and offer it themselves. The point is to be very good at what you use as the Monkey’s Fist and use it to get a position in the company.

So how do you defend against someone else using a Monkey’s Fist against you? This is where all of your networking pays off. Establish strategic alliances with other businesses that offer a variety of products and services. Make sure your customers understand that you have a strong relationship with a variety of businesses that offer other products and services. Introduce your strategic partners into the account so your customer can meet them face-to-face. Finally, the most important way to defend against someone else’s Monkey Fist is to have a strong enough relationship with your customer that they will not make a move without talking to you first.

Now, back to the original question, do you have a Monkey’s Fist?