Have you ever heard someone say that in a meeting? A planning session? Or worse yet, a brainstorming session?
If everyone felt that way – you try something once, it fails, it cannot be done – we wouldn’t have airplanes, electricity, telephones, post-it-notes or the Food Network!
I just finished reading Julia Child’s My Life in France.
She didn’t set out to become a highly rated televised cooking show, she had a passion for French cooking. She wanted to teach American housewives, who did not have servants, to master the art of French cooking. She spent 10 years writing her first cookbook. The manuscript came in at over 700 pages.
Her first publisher, after giving her an advance, told her there was no audience in America for something that detailed. The TV dinner had just been introduced and that convinced the folks in charge at this publishing house that no one was interested in cooking anymore. The American housewife was looking for fast and easy. That may have been somewhat true – but not everyone was looking for that. Could there be a niche for French? Maybe you could be successful by not appealing to the masses? Interesting thought.
Luckily someone at Knopf publishing shared her passion for French cuisine and was able to convince the company to take a chance.
The notorious James Beard was actually the first person to be televised cooking. He had no real camera presence. He was an artist – not a great communicator. So it was concluded by many that “No one wanted to watch someone cook on television.”
Think about it – today we have an entire network, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week that is devoted to watching people cook. One of the highest rated shows in a season is the Next Food Network Star.
So the next time you hear someone say, “You know, we tried that once – it won’t work.” You may be hearing an idea so great its time has finally come. You may have finally found your true differentiator!
Question everything.
The 2020 Vision of Marketing 
5 comments
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August 18, 2009 at 8:03 am
Dwight Johnston
Saw your tweet (sigh) about feeling blue about no blog comment, so I’m remedying that. I have nothing to add to your brilliant analysis. At least that’s what I think when no one comments on what I write. Works for me.
August 18, 2009 at 8:10 am
Denise Wymore
DJ,
Thanks for the inspiration – and I will always remember that – silence really means awe…..
August 18, 2009 at 10:56 am
Andy Janning
“And what would’ve made that idea work last time?”
I’ve used that comeback a few times when faced with the “it won’t work!” objection. Definitely refocuses the conversation to present-day solutions.
Thanks for bringing this topic up. ‘Tis the season for it, to be sure.
August 19, 2009 at 9:18 am
Matt Hand
Ah, the many roadblocks to pitching a new idea. The challenges you describe seem to come up all too often. What strikes me as humorous are the times when an idea is shot down by the brainstorming group before even hatching it out properly. Then, sometimes only 10 minutes later, the same idea is proposed by a different person, using slightly different examples and language, and it’s embraced by the group and moved along into a planning phase. I wonder, are we all living in an episode of The Office?
It makes me think that sometimes it’s more about delivery than the actual message. Do you have any advice or know of resources on effective ways to get a group to buy in to a new idea?
August 19, 2009 at 10:02 am
Denise Wymore
@Matt Hand – you are so right – presentation is everything. One of my favorite books is called “I Can See You Naked.” A fearless guide to making great presentations by Ron Joff. He of course advocates NOT picturing your audience naked – but acknowledges that whether you’re in front of a crowd of 400 or simply in a meeting of 10, you’re making a presentation.
There are some really simple Do’s and Dont’s.
Do know what you’re talking about.
Don’t ever turn on your audience – let the audience turn on themselves.
Do use visuals whenever possible – we all don’t absorb new ideas the same way.
Don’t be boring. Know when to stop talking – take your cues from your audience.
Do seek at all times to get out of the grey zone…….aka the snooze zone.
Don’t take tranquilizers if you get nervous before a presentation. This will not help. Tequila is generally a bad idea too.
I’m just sayin…..