Advertisement Ideas: Go Over The Top!!!
In football going over the top has been a way to effectively achieve the objective of getting first downs and touchdowns. In going over the top a player puts himself at risk for the best interest of the team. In business and in non-profit organizations going over the top can be very risky as the message or your actions may not resonate with the audience you are attempting to reach or may not be in line with the hierarchy of an organization. I have often been the one to go over the top be it break dancing at a leadership conference or asking for donations on a parade route or hanging up a FREE HUGS sign at my local Starbucks. Sometimes my over the top actions have yielded great fruits and scored me many points while at other times I have been thrown for a loss. The risk of being an over the top thinker and implementor is great however the rewards this thinking yields makes it all worth it on many occasions. I was told that many people who meet me for the first time don’t know what to make of my over the top thinking or actions and that this thinking may be creating challenges in my personal and professional life. I believe that in order to succeed you must be an over the top thinker because sometimes it is the crazy actions that get noticed and rewarded. I remember one day I was about 14 years old volunteering at The Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon and I decided to get the audience to pledge money for the amount of push ups I could do in a minute. Some thought I was crazy but I knew exactly that doing something unique and different I could raise some much-needed funds for those with neuromuscular diseases. I grabbed the microphone and said Hello, I am Jonathan Lederman and I am asking everyone to make a pledge for the amount of push-ups I could do in a minute so we can help the kids who can’t do push-ups because of Muscular Dystrophy. I did 52 push-ups and raised over $500. I remember standing up at a Jaycees meeting when a local chapter was on the verge of cancelling their Spreading The Joy program and I said what if we ask people we do business with to donate. I was told we never did that before. I asked why not the worst they can tell us is no. I asked them to give me two weeks as we were going to meet again in two weeks they said okay. Well at the next meeting I stood up as told them I secured monetary donations in the amount of $2500 and in-kind donations of over $1000. They asked how I said I just asked. I also told them about the door blocks I set up at the local KMART where we would simply ask customers for donations. They were hesitant at first and didn’t want to do it so I said okay I’ll go on the first day and if anyone wants to join me great if not that is okay too. On that first day I collected over $500 and recruited 15 chaperones for The Holiday Shopping Spree. That year, 1989, saw us take 64 needy children holiday shopping and feeding 30 needy families. Simply by being an over the top thinker I have found success. The lesson here is to take a risk and go over the top.
Sometimes being over the top in your thoughts and actions can backfire as was the case recently when I sent two reminder Facebook messages and made a phone call to someone who had committed to making a donation to a cause that is really near and dear to my heart, helping cancer patients and their families. The gentleman took offense at my attitude and lodged a complaint with the organization. I personally though it was a bit ridiculous as he was the one who made the commitment and my thought was you were the one who said yes and when called out didn’t honor your commitment. I had a great conversation with the leaders of the organization and realized that unfortunately there is nothing one can do when someone reneges on their promise. I also realized that sometimes energy is wasted on those who do not keep their word. I have learned it takes all types and if someone is going to complain about my tactics than maybe I need to change it up a bit so as to conform with their personality. I also learned that when one does not own the company and only represents it that you must pull back from the over the top thinking so that the goals and objectives are met. I may have lost out on an $18.70 donation and had a complaint lodged but in my heart I know that I did what I believed and stood in my truth. I learned also that not everyone will get your out of the box thinking. In most cases my being a bit over the top has been met with positivity and garnered support. I have raised over $30,000 in 15 years for this charity so I must have been doing something correct.
The greatest lesson learned from over the top thinking and actions is that not everyone is going to understand it but there is a time and a place for everything. In some circles conservative and professional will work and in other circles over the top will work. The key is to know what circle you are in.
The biggest thing you can do is create fireworks because controversy creates cash. You can be over the top and be successful for it is when you stand out that you get noticed and many times find success. By the way collecting at the parade that someone deemed inappropriate garnered over $375. Remember some will, some won’t, so what, some waiting, next.
Stay Positive Today!!!
