A few months ago, after hearing this advice preached for years, I found myself more fully adopting the attitude that we all have something unique to offer. I wanted to believe it before, but never fully did.
I wondered, why’d it finally stick?
I think it has to do with the “rule of seven” in marketing. Credited to Dr. Jeffrey Lant, the rule states that a sales prospect needs at least 7 touches (e.g. in-person meetings, phone calls, online ads) within an 18-month period before she’ll take action.
Similar to when you’re a sales prospect purchasing a product, you need multiple touches before you buy into an idea.
Having multiple information points helps you make real change.
When you get advice from a single source–regardless of whether how much you respect the person or organization–the idea won’t hold as much weight as when you hear it from multiple people. Even if your main source is Beyoncé, another voice will help.
This might feel like common sense.
But what if you can use this rule to your advantage?
In this case, you’re both the salesperson and the prospect.
Say you talk to a friend about the value of forgiveness and think, yeah, I should work on that, but you don’t make any immediate changes.
You’ll very likely need to hear about the value of forgiveness a few different ways to fully realize your goal of forgiving someone.
Far too often we get discouraged at the beginning. Didn’t make it 24 hours into the sugar cleanse? Forget it, a life of Twizzlers and butterfingers it is.
You can’t expect yourself to make an instant change.
Engineering our own touchpoints can accelerate the changes we want to see.
Find a new perspective, read a book, listen to a podcast, do whatever you need. You don’t just need the right advice, you need the right sources. Every touch helps and gets you closer to your goal.
To being better without expecting change in the time it takes to make ramen,
Elizabeth