How much do you believe in your ideas?

Picture_19 Here in the United States, we gather every November to give thanks.  Each year we sit at a table filled with turkey, dressing, pumpkin pie and of course, some post dinner football. Why?

Behold the power of persistence.

We all know the story of the pilgrims of 1621. But many don't know that while there was an occasional day of thanks after 1621, it typically happened in June and then would go many years before the next celebration. President Jefferson actually scoffed at the idea of a day of thanks.

We would be at work on that 4th Thursday in November and cranberry jelly free, if it were not for Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor who wrote editorials, and letters to governors and presidents. Hale felt so strongly that our country should observe a day of thanks that she maintained her campaign for 40 years until in 1863 President Lincoln finally declared the last Thursday in November a national day of thanks.

Imagine if she had written just one editorial or letter and then given up.

And yet that's what marketers do every day. They try something once or twice and then throw in the towel. If you know you have a good idea – don't let fear, time or pressure wear you down. If you truly believe you are the right fit for a potential client…don't accept no.

Keep lobbying for a chance to tell the story. Even if it takes 40 years.

Related posts:

Keep banging into those walls

Be a Drip

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6 comments on “How much do you believe in your ideas?

  1. OK Drew,
    But I do not want to hear any complaining that all I do is write about ________ .

    You are correct that the Internet has allowed us to try things so quickly and cheaply that we do not let them mature sufficiently to see if they will really work. On the other hand it also allows us to put things out with so little thought that perhaps would not have been said or done if more cost or time was involved.

  2. Robyn says:

    Drew, not only do good ideas take persistence, but they also take the willingness to jump out of an airplane without a parachute. Only leaders take that kind of plunge.

  3. Lewis,

    Right — it has to be a lot more than just a job. But when you think about the brands (or people) that endure — ultimately, they have heart.

    Drew

  4. Roger,

    So do you see that as a positive change or a negative one? How have you leveraged it?

    Drew

  5. Josh,

    You raise a good point. So how, in your estimation, does one find the balance? How do you know when to stop pushing?

    Drew

  6. Robyn,

    But to Josh’s point…you sure what to know which idea to take with you as you leap from the plane. How do you think leaders decide when to jump and when to stay put? And how do they get it right?

    Drew

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