Every marketer wants to be clever, but how many of us rise to the occasion?

For example, I dont know who invented the frequent flyer program, but I have to tip my hat to him or her.

That innovation established customer loyalty and retention in an industry known for fickleness.

But most of us plod along, doing what we can to build customer interest and generate a sense of value. Sometimes we hit, but more often we miss or we muddle through.

Im here to tell you that failure is never what it seems to be, and of course, its never permanent.

For instance, a few years ago I sent out one hundred thousand mailers that were some of the ugliest things you never saw. Believe me when I tell you, they were just a bunch of text on pages with no graphics, whatsoever.

I was pitching a slate of seminars. They broke even.

And I only got two clients from the mailing, as aftermarket.

But one of them went to my seminar, and so I earned his tuition dollar, and then he brought me in-house. That consulting project netted over $300,000 in ten months.

The other client I got was worth about $10,000, and the cost of the mailer was relatively cheap: $30,000 as I recall.

But from a statistical standpoint, it was a flop.

And I thought I was the biggest bozo in the world. But failure, magically, turned into success.

You absolutely never know when or how a promotion will turn out. Like a horse race, favorites are not a sure thing.

That also-ran, the scrappiest entry can surprise everybody, and bring in the biggest purse.

Thats part of the joy of sports and marketing. So, keep plugging away, and expect a few good surprises along with the bad.