Tools

Look to the kids. They have all the answers. When it comes to thinking differently about your marketing, consider these lessons we’ve learned from how children act.

Lesson #1: They aren’t afraid to be wrong.
“The moon is just a giant egg in the sky.” “Brown cows make chocolate milk.” “I’m going to be Beyonce when I grow up.” “Spiderman should be president.”

Your greatest ideas will sound foolish, at first. Until they sound brilliant. You are going to fail a few times before you succeed. Accept this reality and move on. Your fearlessness will take your marketing and business to the next level.

Your best coworkers are the ones who aren’t afraid to stumble as they learn.

Lesson #2: They ask questions—a lot of questions.
“Where do dreams come from?” “How come Grandma’s face is so wrinkly?” “Why do flies think gross stuff smells good?” “Why can’t we breathe underwater like fish?” “Why am I left-handed?”

Some of their questions catch us off guard because they are strikingly profound and others make us smile. Either way, fear of asking foolish questions doesn’t exist in young children. They are driven by curiosity.

Be driven by your spirit of inquiry—how can your marketing plans improve? What if we [insert outlandish marketing idea here]? It’s rumored that Disney World wanted to host a competition where the winner got sent to the moon. While this obviously never transpired, they weren’t afraid to think of big and ask crazy “what ifs.” Ask questions, continuously, that will push your marketing efforts to the next level—even if at first they seem far-reaching.

Lesson #3: They put people at ease.
Kids have a knack for breaking the ice. If ever in an uncomfortable business situation, channel your inner child. (No, we don’t mean give away free hugs or awkwardly tackle them.) Be engaging and personable like a child. Remember back to the days when you naturally captivated people just by existing—we know, kids have it so easy.

Deepening business relationships gets easier when you can put any type of person at ease. Don’t be afraid to be outgoing. Sometimes it takes a gregarious business person to get a marketing relationship going. A four-year-old makes a distinct, warm impression. Strive to do the same.