In a previous blog post, I mentioned how valuable it is to break the status quo to extract new or increased value. Well, my wife happened to clip a quote the other day that fits right in line:
“For every nine people who denounce innovation, only one will encourage it… For every nine people who do things the way they have always been done, only one will ever wonder if there is a better way. For every nine people who stand in line in front of a locked building, only one will ever come around and check the back door.”
“Our progress as a species rests squarely on the shoulders of that tenth person. The nine are satisfied with things they are told are valuable. Person 10 determines for himself what has value.” — Za Rinpoche and Ashley Nebelsieck, in The Backdoor to Enlightenment
Marketing is often the practice of looking around to see what everyone else is doing and then repeating. It’s tough to think of new marketing ideas… and even tougher to actually implement them (time, $, untested, etc.). But, when you do pull it off, the other ‘nine’ stand back in amazement at the value creation and wonder how you ever pulled it off.
What’s the latest ‘odd man out’ thing you’ve done… what were the results… and how did you make it happen?
Posted In: Small Business
