A Marketing Lesson From TV's American Idol
I love the reality TV show American Idol. And probably not for
the reason you think. Yes, it's entertaining to watch all those
very bad singers get up and act as if they're the next Kelly
Clarkson.
But that's not why I love it.
I love it because it's a show about people who have a dream and
are willing to do whatever it takes to make that dream come true.
Its about people who don't let anything get between themselves
and success.
They're not afraid to take a risk.
And put themselves out there and possibly fail.
They're not afraid to work hard.
They know success isn't always about being good at what you do.
How many great singers are out there who no one has ever heard
of, and probably never will? Too many to count I'm sure.
But the ones who take a chance, do whatever it takes to get
themselves to an American Idol audition where they're competing
with hundreds of thousands of people and their odds of making it
are next to nothing.
They know they could be made to look ridiculous on national
TV.
(although I'm also convinced there are some people who audition
who know they are terrible and just want their 15 minutes of
fame, even if it does involve totally making a fool of
themselves ... but that's another article!).
They know they're going to be scrutizined and will have to
listen to harsh criticism and be willing to grow and change.
If they've watched previous seasons of the show they know they
are going to be sleep-deprived and tested beyond anything
they've ever done before if they make it to Hollywood.
They know they're going to have to give it everything they have,
and leave behind their loved ones and their comfortable life for
the duration of their run in the competition.
And they probably even know they're going to have to surrender a
good percentage of their earnings if they do win, to the
American Idol producers.
Yet, they do it anyway.
I truly admire these people. They have what it takes to be
successful. They know it takes passion, hard work, sacrifice,
and a whatever-it-takes attitude.
How about you?
How passionate are you about your work?
Are you willing to do whatever it takes to be successful?
Are you willing to take risks and put yourself and your business
out there?
Are you willing to accept criticism and critique in order to
improve your product or service?
Are you willing to fail?
Are you willing to grow and change and adapt?
Are you willing to go find and meet the people who can help you
succeed?
And really committed to giving everything you've got to get your
business off the ground?
You have to be if you want to succeed.
Yes, there are those people who just seem to be lucky and fall
into success. But that's not the road most take.
You have to be willing to do the hard stuff in the beginning.
But the wonderful thing is if you do, odds are you'll find
success beyond your wildest dreams. And that success will begin
to flow to you abundantly. And you will reap all the wonderful
benefits.
So, whether or not you like American Idol, take a look at what
you can learn from it to make your business succeed.