The goal of a marketing interaction isn’t to close the sale, any more than the goal of a first date is to get married. No, the opportunity is to move forward, to earn attention and trust and curiosity and conversation.
In a race, sooner or later there’s a moment that separates the winner from those who don’t win. That instant is your chance, the moment you’ve been waiting for.
In a long distance race, everyone gets tired. The winner is the runner who figures out where to put the tired, figures out how to store it away until after the race is over. Sure, he’s tired. Everyone is. That’s not the point. The point is to run.
Before you tell yourself you have no right to invent this or improve that, remind yourself that the person before you had no right either, but did it anyway.
So much easier to aim for the smallest possible audience, not the largest, to build long-term value among a trusted, delighted tribe, to create work that matters and stands the test of time.
Rehearsing failure is simply a bad habit, not a productive use of your time. When you choose to visualize the path that works, you’re more likely to shore it up and create an environment where it can take place.
