I sat at my desk the other day brainstorming new strategies to get VQC’s name out there. A bunch of really wacky and creative ideas crossed my mind, but I rejected the lot of them. (For example: taking a video camera to an after-hours at the Chamber, sponsoring a businessperson “field day”, etc.) In the end I ended up pitching a relatively normal marketing tactic to Q.

I got to thinking, why am I (and so many other local marketers) so afraid to go out on a limb and propose something innovative and a little crazy? I mean really, what is there to be afraid of?

I think the hesitancy to stepping outside the “system” is due to the issue of blame. If you use the system and the results are less than spectacular, you have the system to fall back on. (”No new leads. The billboard salesman lied.”)

If you innovate, create and propose an entirely new idea that fails, the blame rests solely on you. (”Who ordered this twelve foot chicken anyway?”)

On the other hand, who gets the credit if a run-of-the-mill campaign succeeds? The system. (”We met 7 new contacts at the mixer last night. That membership finally paid off!”)

But…

If you innovate and create the twelve foot chicken that blows the lid off your sales and succeeds spectacularly, you’re the genius taking the credit.

So yeah, you and I can hide behind convention and maybe even make a decent buck or two. But when it comes to innovation, the rewards are so much greater if you take that risk.