Who hasn’t heard that line? “Failure is not an option” has never done anything for me, although of course, the intent is clear. Here’s a different take on it from Seth Godin:
The flip side
“It’s impossible to have a coin with only one side. You can’t have heads without tails.
“Innovation is like that. Initiative is like that. Art is like that.
“You can’t have success unless you’re prepared to have failure.
“As soon as you say, “failure is not an option,” you’ve just said, “innovation is not an option.”
The coin flipping analogy may seem weird. Especially if you have done everything you know to say, pull off a remarkable product demo.
But, because we cannot predict how others will react, the results might or might not be what you hoped for. That’s where you don’t know where the coin will come down.
If you don’t like the results of your demo (or presentation or whatever you did), you adjust and adapt and do it again. And again. Because. That’s the process for any successful marketing. Success depends on how others react, and until the right ones react the way you want, success depends on how often you’re willing to adapt and try again.
How much do you love what you’re doing?
