Testing the waters

When you want to try something new, remember: You don't have to try the entire thing at once to see if it will work.

A few years ago my father discovered a new hobby — sandblasting beautiful designs in glass.

Most of his projects involve putting names on mugs for friends and acquaintances.

But this year, he aims to etch a four-generation family tree and contribute it to the auction at the next family reunion.

And this time he's decided to etch it into the back of a mirror. He figures if he etches out the silver on the back, he'll get a lovely design that's quite visible from the front.

Having never tried this before, what do you think you did?

I'll tell you what he didn't do:

He didn't go out and buy a beautiful wall mirror and start etching the family tree right away.

He got any old scrap mirror he could get from garage sales or second-hand stores, and began making small test pieces.

The first ones didn't turn out too well.

But now he knows a lot more about what's possible and what's not. He learned a thing or two about technique.

And now he's confident and ready to begin the large piece.

I expect it will fetch a fine price at the auction.

Imagine the frustration and expense he would’ve had to go through if he’d just tried building the final project, over and over, until he got it right.

Here's the thing:

Imagine you decided you were going to build your dream house one day. All by yourself. With your own hands.

I hope you wouldn't just jump in head-first and start swinging a hammer.

Maybe try building a dog house first.

It's the same for your CRM system.

Test the waters. Try your big idea on a small scale. See what you can learn.

Once you've learned a thing or two, you'll be ready to do it for real.

All the best,
A.