Looking for Leads Like a Blind Squirrel?
By Michael StelznerSeth Godin writes, “My dad likes to say, ‘Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and then.’ The thing is, acorns are getting a lot better at hiding.”
He goes on to tell the story of a young man hitting up the local stores for a job with the line, “You don’t have any summer jobs, do you?”
Seth’s conclusion is that marketing pro’s do the same thing.
We too often blindly go seeking acorns.
My question to you: What is more important: Finding acorns or cracking them open?
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June 4th, 2007 at 3:48 pm
I think most important is finding good acorns, then cracking them open.
June 4th, 2007 at 4:24 pm
Katie - Yes indeed. The question is how do you find a good acorn? - Mike
June 5th, 2007 at 9:12 am
Mike,
We have tons of acorns in our yard. I rake them up every fall and throw them in the dead leaf pile!
BTW, I LOVE the picture of the squirrel. Don’t know why, but it cracks me up.
June 5th, 2007 at 9:25 am
Hi Dianna;
We do not get too many acorns out here in San Diego.
That is a funny picture eh!
Mike
June 6th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
I think now the acorns are calling the shots, not the squirrels.
I’m now hearing apocryphal stories about receptionists and other gatekeepers being instructed to give false information to callers who might be salespeople (as in, telling everyone who calls to find out who’s in charge of “X” that a fictitious name and job title has that role, then dumping any mail that comes to that person).
The squirrels are having to put themselves in a visible enough position (publishing white papers, blogging, speaking engagements, SEO, etc.) so the acorns find THEM when they perceive they have a need. I think direct contact strategies are dying.
And to answer Mike’s question with a question: What’s one without the other?
January 9th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
If you must use my photography on your site without giving me credit, at least do me the favor of putting it on your own server and not using my bandwidth.
January 9th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
Eric - My apologies. It is gone. - Mike
January 9th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
Mike, thanks for the consideration. I don’t really mind folks using my photos - I’m not a professional - it’s the drain on the bandwidth that I want to avoid.