If people hate your idea, you could be on the right track
Scores of investors showed Len Bosack the door when he pitched his idea (which later became Cisco). HP told Steve Jobs to take a hike when he proposed a new product to the board of directors (they thought it too radical).
As Jobs exited the boardroom he heard someone mutter, “Why would anyone want a personal computer?”
A dozen studios opted out of Star Wars. In 1876, Western Union said of Bell’s telephone: “It has no perceived value to us.” Warner brothers, when asked to consider integrating voice dialog into films said,“Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?” In 1996, McKinsey said, “No one will ever buy anything online.”
If every bone in your body says it’s right ….
Granted, not all ideas are good, BUT if you really feel something is right, if every instinct tells you your idea is sound, AND if people simultaneously say you’re crazy, you know you’re onto something. Why? Because challenges to the status quo often feel wrong. Or they feel unattainable. Or they just seem crazy.
Consider an idea I heard from a graduate student in business, I’ll call Debra (who decided to kill her idea for a paper she was writing because her professor called it “downright un-American”).
Debra thinks marketers should encourage customers to buy less, not more.
Debra believes we are moving away from a mass consumption society. She came to this conclusion while studying sustainability. But that wasn’t the real kicker that got her thinking.
She further noticed that in a connected economy, products are multi functional (cells phones outsell cameras 6 to 1 and serve as personal computer, entertainment center, GPS, and wallet. I hear they even make phone calls). When modern connectivity lets single-use products fulfill multiple use cases, the resulting displaced solutions will likely take a hit.
But it’s not just connectivity. The quality movement (and sustainability) is also changing the way brands operate. For example, Debra’s service consultant (at Lexus) showed her how some simple changes in her driving behavior could score her another 100,000 miles. In fact he said, “We’d love to sell you a new car, but you can drive the one you have for two decades if you want.”
She was so impressed that she became a Lexus evangelist (and her advocacy went on to sell six vehicles). Granted, half of the sales she influenced were family members (but I have a feeling Lexus doesn’t really care).
Debra ‘s thesis? In the future, leading brands will tell us how to consume less, not more.
But, then the push back began, starting with Debra’s professor, trained in classical marketing, who insisted that leading brands will never abandon cross-selling, up-selling, more selling. What marketer in their right mind would encourage you to buy its product with less frequency?
But I think she is onto something, don’t you?
Okay, so why am I telling your this story? If you’ve been turned down multiple times and I say, “Never give up” you’ll roll your eyes, so I’d like to share advice I got from my first sales manager. When nine prospects in a row, didn’t buy from me, I figured the 10th one would turn me down too. I was discouraged. But my manager told me statistics don’t really work that way when selling something.
Granted, you have to pitch to people that are qualified to buy. But, if you’re pitching an idea to someone who is qualified to take action, the nine people that turned you down before don’t have anything to do your 10th prospect’s decision. Every new opportunity is just that. New. Every time is your first time.
