We created this page so that from time to time, the Yellowfin team could post some of the philosophies, anecdotes, stories and more for you to read, and perhaps share with your colleagues.
The following is a great story about risk. And we all know that any marketing and/or fundraising initiative involves a certain degree of risk. Just about every day we talk to clients and prospects about trying something new and taking a chance – by testing a new direct mail or online strategy, technique, plan, etc.
And while it is human nature to minimize risk – and sometimes avoid it altogether – our experience, time-tested strategies, and client success stories would not exist without taking risks.
So, I encourage you to read one of my favorite stories below – whether you are doing your first direct mail campaign, just looking to spice things up a bit, or are ready to make a serious improvement to the ROI of your direct marketing or fundraising program. Perhaps it will make you think next time you are faced with choosing between the familiar vs. the unknown.
The Black Door –
By Cleve F. Adams – 1937
This is a story about a spy who had been captured and sentenced to death by a general of the Persian army. The general, however, permitted the condemned person to choose between the firing squad or the black door.
As the moment of execution drew near, the general ordered the spy to be brought before him to receive the doomed man's decision. This was not an easy decision, and the prisoner hesitated, but soon he made it known that he preferred the firing squad. Not long thereafter, a volley of shots in the courtyard announced the grim sentence had been fulfilled. The general turned to his aide and said, "You see how it is with people; they will always prefer the known way to the unknown. It is characteristic of people to be afraid of the undefined. And yet I gave him his choice!"
"What lies behind the black door?" asked the aide.
"Freedom," replied the general, "and I've known only a few men brave enough to take it."
There are two messages to this story. The first, of course, is that we will often choose the familiar, even if it is undesirable, over the unknown, which might represent a wonderful opportunity. And second, that few people are brave enough to choose freedom.
I'm not saying we should reject the familiar -- not by any means. But we should question the familiar. Just because it is familiar doesn't make it good, best, or even the right thing to do.
Right now you are probably saying to yourself, "I would have chosen the black door. I would have had nothing to lose; the firing squad was certain death."
But actually faced with the choice, would you really? How many doors to freedom have we passed up during our lives because we tend to cling so fiercely to the familiar? How many times have frightening events come about that later proved to be gainful? Each of them was a black door through which we eventually passed to greater freedom. But at the time, we may have chosen to keep things as they were. It's good to remember that it is often those things we worry about and fear most that turn out to be blessings in disguise.
I'm sure many of you might be reluctant to take (such and such risk). But once you do, will it not add greater freedom to your lives? For many of you, I'm sure, (such and such risk) will open doors to once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.
So I urge you, all of you… do not be afraid to choose the black door.
Thanks for your time!
David Hazeltine
Yellowfin Founder & CEO