Anyone who has skied has experienced the moment I am about to describe- and if you haven’t skied but have been engaged with a marketing campaign please read on because you’ve probably been here too (less the chair lift and the snow)

See, marketing and skiing are very similar. The idea (of it in our heads) is great and the view is foggy at times and crystal clear at others. The planning and the climb to the top before you push off are exciting- a little nerve inducing at points but all in all you are expecting great things.

Then you get to the top and stop at the edge- looking down you feel that last moment of angst. Its now or never and you know as soon as you push off you are going against gravity- you are committed and there is no turning back.

But there is a way to cease….and in marketing and skiing this is unfavorable. Its called throwing a yard sale.

A yard sale in skiing is what you abandon all sense of reason- freak out (usually becuase of fear of a feeling of being out of control) and literally throw your equipment and yourself down and all over the mountain. A pole here, a glove there, a ski slides down without you. And you come to an abrupt painful hault.

In marketing we often see the same thing. An exciting launch full of hope and promise and then an abrupt crash when we panic and dont see the immediate end or results. But pulling out before you have given your campaign a real chance to make it (even close) to the end is more dangerous than pushing off at the top in the first place.

You will end up spending and investing time, money; you may even have a partial public perspective forming. All of a sudden- BAM- like hitting a tree- there is no final completion or follow up.

In other words, Unless you are willing to make it all the way down that mountain you would be better off not riding the lift to the top in the first place.

Before you throw a yard sale with your marketing campaign follow these simple steps

1) Be in good physical condition before you get on the lift: do your market research, make sure you have the financial ability to make it all the way (don’t rely on pending closings or sales to fund your campaign), and feel confident in your decisions- real fear in the beginning means something- listen to your instincts.
2) Launch wiht a firm plan and time line and stick to it. Don’t expect to put it together as you go along. Build the entire framework and execute step by step on time every time.
3) Before you make decide to ditch- make a promise to yourself you will just simply slow down. sometimes riding parallel with the mountain will help control your speed- you may just need a chance to gather your thoughts and remind yourself you are okay.
4) If you do ditch the sooner you ask for help the sooner you can get back on track. Media contracts, public perception, and creative investments can all be saved and brought back to life but you need to act quickly.