Made to Stick is a book that will transform the way you communicate ideas. It’s a fast-paced tour of success stories (and failures). Provocative, eye-opening, and often surprisingly funny, Made to Stick shows us the vital principles of winning ideas–and tells us how we can apply these rules to making our own messages stick. Read the complete book review.
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Passion, are you passionate about your idea? Would other people become passionate about your idea? Passion fuels the drive to see things through to the end, you will continue to push and pull your way to the top.
In addition to being passionate, it’s all about creating an idea, product or service that speaks directly to the consumer, making them feel wholeheartedly connected to it and leaves them wondering where they would be without it. Not only do *you* have to believe in your idea, product or service, but you have to give the consumer a reason to as well.
There’s a little bit of luck involved with making ideas stick too, if you listen to Malcolm Gladwell. Sometimes all it takes is the right person who can spread your idea to more of the right people, and before you know it, the idea has a life of its own. Ultimately it starts with you, though. If you talk about it long enough, people will remember what you have to say. And if you’re lucky, you’re telling the right people.
Some ideas ’stick’ because they are completely absurd (Pet rock), astronomically creative (Obama Social Media Campaign), or obviously in need (Light bulb). But those mediocre, in-between ideas are made to last by the people that spread the word and the inherent message attached.
Obviously celebrities and well known people have an advantage to making an idea stick, but for the rest of us, it is a tough game to get our ideas to come to fruition and, ultimately, to make people believe.
Solution: If the idea is valid, it will stick, but it could take time. Throw the idea out there, let the public digest it, and hopefully the right person will make it happen.
Having a great idea is only half of the equation. Executing it (ie. making it stick) is the other part.
I think timing is very important. Is the market resdy for this idea? Talking to the right person at the right time is also a big factor. You also need to have a well thought out, prepared and polished pitch (and make sure you’ve done your homework in terms of market research – I can’t remember how many entrepreneurs I see get ripped apart by the dragons on Dragons Den). I know that a good idea shouldn’t have to sell itself, but you can never underestimate the power of good packaging. =)
Basically, in order to have an idea stick, a person needs to influence people into believing in the idea – and that requires doing the homework, believing in the idea, having the dedication and discipline to see it through and sometimes a bit of luck. =)
Great discussion here ladies
I think some ideas stick because of the marketing behind them, and the sales force as well.. We have all heard the saying ” she could sell ice to eskimos” .. well its true if you have the right marketing and the right sales people… anything could become something – of course it helps if its a good product / service and valuable, and it helps if you know the product and believe it in. Some ideas are good but die because the person pushing it lacks focus
The first step in getting ideas to stick is making them heard. Applying the same principle behind successful advertising, ideas with “sizzle” or a clever edge are able to cut through the noise of other messages.
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