Wednesday, September 17, 2008
A Broken Bridge, My Close Call, and Your Business
A little over a year ago, shortly after 6 PM on August 1, 2007, I was on Interstate-35W in Minneapolis, my car climbing the backside of the Mississippi River bluff that led to the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi.
Suddenly, traffic ahead of me stopped. A dust cloud rose from the river side of the bluff.
Traffic stood motionless for several minutes. Finally, a man appeared over the top of the bluff.
A stunning realization
"Turn around!" he yelled. "Go back! The bridge is gone!"
That was the first I knew of the tragic I-35W bridge collapse. Thirteen people who were a half-mile ahead of me died in that collapse. Dozens more were injured. I consider myself lucky that I chose to grab a quick hamburger at a fast-food drive-thru on my way to that bridge, or I might have been among them.
After a couple months of cleanup, the rebuilding of that bridge began. Work progressed round the clock seven days a week to get that critical stretch of the Interstate system rebuilt as quickly as possible.
A bridge rebuilt
Thursday morning, September 18, 2008, at 5 AM, the bridge officially reopens -- three months ahead of schedule. I thought about getting up to be among the first cars across, but I've already had my sense of closure about my close call.
The first time I cross it, though, I'm sure it will be with a prayer of gratitude.
As much as the bridge reopening touches me personally, though, I can't help but share with you some business thoughts that watching the bridge being rebuilt brings to mind.
Yep, even in an event with deep personal meaning for me, I can't help but find some business lesson in it.
The kid in the movie "The Sixth Sense" saw dead people everywhere he went. I see business lessons.
How marketing is like bridge construction
Watching the bridge being rebuilt was instructive. For months upon months, nothing seemed to happen. Hordes of workers scurried everywhere, but no progress was evident.
Then, suddenly, it happened. It seemed like one day the two support columns rose out of the river like a plant growing in time-lapse photography. Boom! They were there.
Then each day the bridge grew out of them, their spans reaching toward each other with speed totally unexpected after the long months of no visible progress.
The months of effort spent laying foundations and making preparations seemed like nothing was happening. But once everything was in place, it was amazing how quickly progress flew.
It's much the same way with marketing. As much as people may hype up the "magic button" marketing solutions they try to sell, marketing is more like building that bridge than like pushing a magic button.
With any worthwhile marketing strategy I know, you see little to no results when you first start it. But once you get some momentum going with it, watch out! The speed at which results can grow can astonish you.
Be ready to put a lot of effort into your business with limited results at first. Build solid foundations. Work toward future growth instead of just quick fixes.
Foundations take time. Especially if you're building something you want to last.
Jeff
A little over a year ago, shortly after 6 PM on August 1, 2007, I was on Interstate-35W in Minneapolis, my car climbing the backside of the Mississippi River bluff that led to the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi.
Suddenly, traffic ahead of me stopped. A dust cloud rose from the river side of the bluff.
Traffic stood motionless for several minutes. Finally, a man appeared over the top of the bluff.
A stunning realization
"Turn around!" he yelled. "Go back! The bridge is gone!"
That was the first I knew of the tragic I-35W bridge collapse. Thirteen people who were a half-mile ahead of me died in that collapse. Dozens more were injured. I consider myself lucky that I chose to grab a quick hamburger at a fast-food drive-thru on my way to that bridge, or I might have been among them.
After a couple months of cleanup, the rebuilding of that bridge began. Work progressed round the clock seven days a week to get that critical stretch of the Interstate system rebuilt as quickly as possible.
A bridge rebuilt
Thursday morning, September 18, 2008, at 5 AM, the bridge officially reopens -- three months ahead of schedule. I thought about getting up to be among the first cars across, but I've already had my sense of closure about my close call.
The first time I cross it, though, I'm sure it will be with a prayer of gratitude.
As much as the bridge reopening touches me personally, though, I can't help but share with you some business thoughts that watching the bridge being rebuilt brings to mind.
Yep, even in an event with deep personal meaning for me, I can't help but find some business lesson in it.
The kid in the movie "The Sixth Sense" saw dead people everywhere he went. I see business lessons.
How marketing is like bridge construction
Watching the bridge being rebuilt was instructive. For months upon months, nothing seemed to happen. Hordes of workers scurried everywhere, but no progress was evident.
Then, suddenly, it happened. It seemed like one day the two support columns rose out of the river like a plant growing in time-lapse photography. Boom! They were there.
Then each day the bridge grew out of them, their spans reaching toward each other with speed totally unexpected after the long months of no visible progress.
The months of effort spent laying foundations and making preparations seemed like nothing was happening. But once everything was in place, it was amazing how quickly progress flew.
It's much the same way with marketing. As much as people may hype up the "magic button" marketing solutions they try to sell, marketing is more like building that bridge than like pushing a magic button.
With any worthwhile marketing strategy I know, you see little to no results when you first start it. But once you get some momentum going with it, watch out! The speed at which results can grow can astonish you.
Be ready to put a lot of effort into your business with limited results at first. Build solid foundations. Work toward future growth instead of just quick fixes.
Foundations take time. Especially if you're building something you want to last.
Jeff
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