5. Guerrilla Marketing Personality Traits Menu | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 Again, not one thing happens. All right, now you put the word out nine times and you have penetrated the mind of your prospect three times. What happens? Your prospect knows he or she has heard of you before. That's what happens. No sale. No cigar. Not yet at least. Sticking with the drill, you put out the word twelve times and your prospect's mind has been pierced four times. What happens then? What happens is that your prospect realizes he or she has seen your marketing before and people figure that if they keep seeing your marketing, you must be doing something right. But still, nobody is buying anything.  Now, you put out the word 15 times and penetrate your prospect's mind five times. At this point, the prospect probably reads every word of your ad or letter, probably even sends away for the brochure you've been offering all along. At this point, most small advertisers figure they've been doing everything wrong and so they abandon their marketing program. DON'T DO IT! NOT YET!  This horrid state of affairs is called sellus interruptus. The sale is never consummated because the marketing chief didn't have the patience to hang in there.  After you've put the word out 18 times, and you've penetrated a mind six times, the person begins to think of when they'll make the purchase. Put out the word 21 times and you've penetrated a mind seven times. The person begins to think of where they'll get the money, how they'll pay. Put out the word 24 times and the prospects, with their minds penetrated eight times, write in their datebook when they will buy from you. They check with whoever they must check with before making a purchase. Finally, you get the word out 27 times, penetrate your prospects' minds nine times they buy from you. Eventually, the profits come rolling in. Think that process can take place if you have no patience? NO WAY. That's why patience remains the most important of the eight personality characteristics. 2. IMAGINATION: This doesn't necessarily refer to headlines or graphics or jingles or being clever as much as it does facing up to reality. If you're going to do a direct mailing, face up to the fact that everyone and their cousin does direct mailings. Why should your envelope get opened?