I actually DO eat thai food. In fact, I’ll try anything once.
But we all know someone who won’t eat sushi, fish, vietnamese, or thai food. We find ourselves asking them at the restaurant, “You mean, you won’t even try it?”
The same type of people will only listen to one kind of music. They’ll never read science fiction or a cheesy bestselling romance novel, or see a Broadway musical. The television channel rarely changes. Routine feels safe.
Stubbornness and being stuck in your ways is the enemy of growth.
It’s the same in business. When it comes to marketing, we tend to be stubborn and think we already know all there is to know about our customers. We believe we already know what works, what doesn’t, and what won’t. We’re also willing to make critical decisions based on that stubbornness.
Diversity and variety are the exact opposite. Someone once told me, “the more diverse the input, the better the output.”
The most successful companies are the ones looking to constantly improve by trying new things. They’re open and willing to learn new ways of doing things. They know they can always do a little bit better. They’re open to outside knowledge and expertise, and they’re willing to take risks and step into the unknown.
The newspaper industry, the record companies, the taxicabs…they should have at least tasted it.
