Don’t throw out an idea because the first version flopped.

Maybe the offer, timing, headline or audience was wrong, not the idea.

What it costs you

The idea didn’t fail. Version one did.

You tried a flyer once. Nothing happened.

So now “flyers don’t work.” Or “email doesn’t work.” Or “giveaways don’t work.”

Maybe.

Or maybe the offer was wrong. Or the headline. Or the timing. Or it went to the wrong people.

Throw out the idea, and you never find out. Fix one thing and try again, and you might find the thing that fills your calendar.

A real example

Two gyms, same idea

Two gyms on the same street. Both print 1,000 flyers and hand them out around the neighborhood. Same idea.

Flyer #1: “Iron & Oak Fitness. State-of-the-art equipment. Friendly staff. Join today!” And a phone number.

Flyer #2: “Your first week is free. Bring a friend, and you both get a free gym T-shirt. Good through March 31. Just bring this flyer.”

Guess which gym got busier in March.

Now say you own the first gym. Your flyer flopped. It would be easy to decide, “Flyers don’t work.”

The gym across the street just proved they do. Your flyer said, “We exist.” Theirs gave people a reason.

Flyer #11,000flyers that said, “We exist.”

Flyer #21,000flyers with a reason, a deadline and a free T-shirt.

Same idea. Same number of flyers. The only thing that changed was the offer.

Why it happens

Why one flop kills a good idea

“We tried that. It didn’t work.”You tried one version of it.

“Our customers don’t respond to that.”Maybe they didn’t respond to that offer.

“It’s a waste of money.”Throwing out a fixable idea is the waste.

“Let’s try something else.”Then you’ll quit that after one try, too.

Change one thing. Try it again.

Do this instead

Fix one thing. Try again.

Before you give up on an idea, ask which part was wrong. Change that one thing, and run it again.

Maybe it was	Try this
The offer	“We’re open” isn’t an offer. Give them a reason to come in this week.
The deadline	Without “Good through March 31,” later turns into never.
The headline	Lead with what they get, not who you are.
The timing	Same piece, a better month. Before the season, not after.
The audience	Same piece, sent to people who actually need you.
The next step	One easy action: call, book, bring the flyer, use the code. Just one.

Put a code on version two, so you know exactly how many people it brought in. If it still flops after you’ve fixed the offer, now you’ve learned something. Not before.

Do this today

Cost: $0Time: 15 minutes

1
Think of one idea you gave up on after one try.
2
Write down which part was most likely wrong: the offer, the timing, the headline or the audience.
3
Rewrite just that part. Give it a deadline and one easy next step.
4
Put a date on your calendar to run version two.

The idea might be fine. Fix version one, and ask for the visit.

From the book