I went to Hawaii for a convention, and it almost cost me my job.
This was the view from my hotel room: one of the prettiest beaches in the world. But I never even set foot on it. Instead, I was on my feet in the convention center basement, 12 hours a day, making sure my booth ran smoothly.
The stakes were high. My company was hemorrhaging market share because our competitors had outmaneuvered us on product quality. While we relied on our brand name, our competitors were innovating and doing things better.
This convention was exactly where we had to go to stop the bleeding. It was packed with our industry’s leading influencers. It wouldn’t have mattered whether it was in Hawaii or Philadelphia or Atlanta. I would have followed them anywhere.
Six months earlier, I had identified this convention as my most important target. And for six months, I did my homework. I put together a marketing plan. I shot videos. I wrote white papers. I packed shipping crates. I did it all.
I came back with boatloads of good new leads, but my boss still couldn’t get over Hawaii. “The optics suck. Don’t do it again.”
Amazingly, I endured one more year there before I realized two very important things:
First, never work for people who don't understand marketing.
Second, never work for people who don’t trust you to do the right thing.
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