Finally getting started

At my day job I just finished marketing my fourth show.

It has been a challenge at times but we have had some real good outcomes.

Now I'm finally ready to implement my first major change, a new customer service program that (if it all works as planned) will help to redefine the relationship between the theatre and its patrons.

So you may be thinking, "Adam, you are just getting around to that?  What have you been doing all year?"

The answer is, gaining the status and skills I need to sell the idea of a new customer service program (and it's related costs and infrastructure changes) to the theatre.

Why did I need to take that time?   Seth explains:

"Selling ideas is a fundamentally different business than having ideas."

That's so true it's scary.  Got something else to say Seth?

"If you want to sell ideas to organizations, you need to invest heavily in the skills and status to do that."

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When I start at my day job, I began to laying out my plan to revamp customer service.

Nobody said, "That's a great idea, here's some money, go get started."

And really, why should they have?

Who was I?

Yeah, my title said Director of Marketing, but I hadn't actually achieved anything that would merit the organization making real changes just because I said it was a good idea.

I had to prove myself first, earn people's trust and gain some respect.  That's just how it is.

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Here's how all this relates to you.

As an artist, part of your job is to sell people on your ideas/artistic vision.

But before you try to sell those things, you have to honestly think about whether you have the skills, status and credibility you need to convince people to follow you.

If you don't that doesn't mean your idea is invalid, but it may mean that you need to take the time to built up your own reputation, demonstrate your own skill, etc. before you go pitching your big vision.

If you remember nothing else, remember this . . .

It doesn't matter how good, or "obviously" right, your idea is . . . people need to be convinced.

And a lot of times, when people are saying "I dont believe in your idea" what they are really saying is that they don't believe in YOU!

Comments

[Ed]

On the other side of the coin, there's an opportunity cost to organizations who refuse to take a chance on individuals or policies that they aren't already familiar/comfortable with. Recent case in point: I'm directing a project next year that will probably (who can ever say this for sure, right? But I'm reasonably confident.) be a hit. Scoring the rights to it (I did most of the legwork myself) was a coup of sorts. There are several companies in town that would give their eyeteeth to produce this piece- it fits their mission and aesthetic style perfectly, and who couldn't use a hit in this economic climate? But I didn't even bother pitching it to them, because I'm familiar with the 'skills and status' rules you state and know it would be too much of a chore to get them to the point where they'd have confidence in me and the project. Instead, I'm doing it with a smaller company that already knows me, trusts me, and that I didn't have to break my back convincing.

[RLewis]

Isn't "doing it with a smaller company" and then inviting the bigger companies part of the "get them to believe in you"? So, although Ed implies that he's taking a different approach, he is really doing what you recommend - it's two sides of the same coin.

[Ed]

I don't disagree with the rules, I'm just saying that there's a cost there. To further illustrate the point- Adam, if your ideas are good ideas (and let's assume they are!), then wouldn't your organization likely be in a better position today if they'd implemented them right away, instead of just now getting to the point where they trust you?

[Adam]

Ed,

Probably. But trust has to be earned and I hadn't done that yet.

They may have thought the ideas were good but lacked faith in my ability to deliver on them.

So when you consider that my ideas would fairly radically change how certain things work . . . it seems fair that they would require a fairly tangible demonstration of my ability before they got behind me.