Rocks and Gems

It’s easy to find gems in a jeweller’s shop, after all that’s where you’d expect to find them aplenty. Going to where you expect to find something is the most efficient, yet you’re not going to discover fresh for the first time nor feel the reward of toil or the delight in unexpected surprise.

Rocks on the other hand are everywhere. They’re on your driveway in the shape of little stones that can get in your shoe, they build into undulating wave forms sculptured by the incoming waves and they’re hidden beneath everywhere we walk, sit or sleep. The planet is one big rock.

What’s harder to discern, is where to find a gem in amongst the rocks or how to avoid a rock in amongst the gems. That takes deft skill that initially may come with trial and error, but ultimately will require practice to hone your craft. You’ll need time, motivation and discipline, often in the face of onlookers pointing wondering why you’re spending all this time playing with rocks. ‘You must have rocks in your head.’ they’ll say.

Of course, the real joke is setting an expectation that you’ll only ever find gems without having to deal with the rocks. Go to the jewellery shop but be prepared to pay full retail because someone else has done all the hard work sorting through the rocks, discovering the gem and crafting it into a unique work of art. In fact, there’s a whole ecosystem evolved around that glass window display of diamonds, ruby’s and gold. All that’s left for you is the fun part, choose.

The other expectation is that you’re in the business of dealing with rocks, while having the faith in the journey, that every so often you’ll find a gem. A business partner once said to me ‘the way I handled all the no’s while selling door to door double glazing in London, was knowing that every know was one closer to a yes.’

When I get asked ‘how long will the marketing campaign need to go for?’, the answer is singular: ‘forever’. There is no beginning and end, the search is always their for the marketing gem, but in order to surface the gem, you’ve got to be prepared to mine the rocks. Want more gems? Mine more rocks.

Velocity may be the important quality for your marketing right now.