by Melissa T. StockI was raised to believe that I could do anything if I just worked hard enough at it. Far before the Nike folks made "Just Do It" fashionable, my parents Dave and Peg Jackson were brainwashing me and my sisters with the notion that dreaming big was not only permissible, but preferable. To them, the sin was in NOT trying, or worse yet, in just trying a little. Before I digress into a tribute to my parents, I’d like to ask a question: when was the last time YOU dared to try something for your company that seemed too big even to attempt? You know, like getting your line into Nordstrom’s for the holiday season, or asking a celebrity to endorse your salsa. Or writing a cookbook featuring you and your products and selling it to a publisher. How about sending a promotional package to a radio station, television station, or magazine? Got an idea that seems outlandish? Good. Have a plan that will work only if Jay Leno finds you to be funny? Perfect. Yep, I’ll admit it now. I am a card-carrying optimist. The proverbial glass is, in fact, almost always half full to me. Which leads me to my point: how much do you believe in your product and company, and how far are you willing to go to make it work? Of course, there is a big difference between pie in the sky and having a well-thought-out plan. Obviously, having an idea is just the first step. The hard work comes in when you put together an interesting, creative, or informational sales pitch that will convince your "someone" that the idea is a good one. Be ready with all of the information they will need, and lots of solid ideas on how your product and their interests can work together. To give you some ideas, I have put together a list of a few of the things that I have tried--both successful and not-so successful. --Television series, here I come--not! I thought a children’s book I co-wrote would make a great basis for a children’s PBS Show. You know--like Barney. So I sent the promotional director of the station that launched the Great Purple One a copy of the book and a package that outlined ideas for a possible new show. But I never heard back from them. --If at first you do not succeed.....In 1996, fellow editor Kellye Hunter and I wrote a series of articles on the medicinal properties of chile peppers. A few months later, on a lark, I decided to enter them into the prestigious James Beard Journalism awards, which honors the best of food writing in magazines, newspapers and books throughout the country. A few weeks after that, we found out that the articles were nominated for awards in two categories. While we didn’t win, we did get a trip to New York and had an amazing experience. --On a roll! We then decided to put that same series of articles into proposal form and subsequently sold our book idea to Three Rivers Press (a division of Random House). The Healing Powers of Peppers can now be found in bookstores and hot shops throughout the country, and it all came about from an idea, a whim, and a small series of articles. --The worst thing he can say is no. While writing the book, I thought it would be great if we could get Dr. Andrew Weil, a noted chile lover, holistic healer, doctor, and best-selling author (Spontaneous Healing, Eight Weeks to Optimum Health) to write the forward to the book. Of course, I had never met him, and had only seen him on television, and on the New York Times best seller list. So I wrote him a letter and asked if he would consider reading the manuscript. He faxed me back within a few days and said that yes, he would be willing to take a look at it. After reading the book, he wrote back again and said, "Thanks for sending the manuscript of the Healing Powers of Chile Peppers. I’ve looked at enough of it to see that you’ve done an excellent job. I will write a short forward for the book, and will get it to you by the end of the month." And he did--for free. --And I even voted for her husband... A few years ago I was in charge of procuring celebrity interviews, and I tried for two years to contact Hillary Clinton so that we could talk about her love of hot foods. I sent care packages and magazines, called and left messages, cajoled and begged--all to no avail. No cards, no letter, no flowers, and certainly no interview. During this time I did, however, manage to interview a few of the semi-rich and famous, including Jay Thomas, Tanya Tucker, Peter Jennings, Wolfman Jack, Martin Yan, and more. All of this goes to show that even under the best of circumstances, not all ideas will be winners, and not all efforts will result in home runs. But if you just stay in the game and keep trying, you will eventually score. I say if it’s not illegal, immoral or humiliating, you should go for it. I’m not advocating spending all of your time on the far-fetched fantasy sell, but why not spend a little? You just never know what might happen. Top of Page
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