Simplicity

Consider Pet Rock.

In 1975, Gary Dahl, came up with the idea after listening to his friends grumble about their pets in a bar. The phenomenal fad was 1% product and 99% Marketing. The rock took the place of the pet and it came in a cardboard box carrier with holes and hay.

Simple - Rock in a box- no eyes, no mouth, no ears, just a rock.
Idea - Created from an observation of friends in a bar.
Marketing - A no fuss pet that was easy to care for. It came with a 32 page booklet that came with the rock on how to care for and train it. How funny!
End result - Gary Dahl became a millionaire in six months.

It would be absurd to compare yourself or business to a Pet Rock. But what can we learn from it?

How can you simplify your message and process so that it is clear and easy to understand? Are your ideas authentic or contrived? Are 99% of your marketing efforts promoting you as a person before the product or service you sell? How does your product or service stand out in the crowd?

There were a lot of rocks out there in 1975, but only one came in a pet carrier with instructions!