that if you place a frog in a boiling kettle of water, it’ll hop right out. But if you place the frog in there while the water is cool, and gradually turn up the heat, it won’t notice the change until it’s too late. It'll just acclimate and then, well, croak.<Against my better judgment, I spent this past Sunday morning working in the yard. With the heat wave bringing temperatures into the upper 90’s by mid-morning, I knew I couldn’t start in the afternoon like I normally do.

So I got up early and started mowing the lawn around 7:30, while it was still just lukewarm outside. One project turned into another, and before I knew it, I was on a roll.

When my wife finally came out to check on me at 11:00, I was drenched in sweat, a little redder in the face, and it was hotter than blazes in the shade.

Oddly enough, I was so wrapped up in what I was doing that I hadn't really noticed the temperature creep up nearly 25 degrees during the morning.

If I had waited all morning to get started, the shock of the heat would have sent me straight back inside. As it was, my body had simply acclimated.

This got me to thinking about the legend of the boiling frog. Perhaps you’ve heard of it before.

Rich Froggy, Poor Froggy

The idea is that if you place a frog in a boiling kettle of water, it’ll hop right out. But if you place the frog in there while the water is cool, and gradually turn up the heat, it won’t notice the change until it’s too late. It'll just acclimate and then, well, croak.<wing the lawn around 7:30, while it was still just lukewarm outside. One project turned into another, and before I knew it, I was on a roll.

When my wife finally came out to check on me at 11:00, I was drenched in sweat, a little redder in the face, and it was hotter than blazes in the shade.

Oddly enough, I was so wrapped up in what I was doing that I hadn't really noticed the temperature creep up nearly 25 degrees during the morning.

If I had waited all morning to get started, the shock of the heat would have sent me straight back inside. As it was, my body had simply acclimated.

This got me to thinking about the legend of the boiling frog. Perhaps you’ve heard of it before.

Rich Froggy, Poor Froggy

The idea is that if you place a frog in a boiling kettle of water, it’ll hop right out. But if you place the frog in there while the water is cool, and gradually turn up the heat, it won’t notice the change until it’s too late. It'll just acclimate and then, well, croak.<d it was hotter than blazes in the shade.

Oddly enough, I was so wrapped up in what I was doing that I hadn't really noticed the temperature creep up nearly 25 degrees during the morning.

If I had waited all morning to get started, the shock of the heat would have sent me straight back inside. As it was, my body had simply acclimated.

This got me to thinking about the legend of the boiling frog. Perhaps you’ve heard of it before.

Rich Froggy, Poor Froggy

The idea is that if you place a frog in a boiling kettle of water, it’ll hop right out. But if you place the frog in there while the water is cool, and gradually turn up the heat, it won’t notice the change until it’s too late. It'll just acclimate and then, well, croak.<f the heat would have sent me straight back inside. As it was, my body had simply acclimated.

This got me to thinking about the legend of the boiling frog. Perhaps you’ve heard of it before.

Rich Froggy, Poor Froggy

The idea is that if you place a frog in a boiling kettle of water, it’ll hop right out. But if you place the frog in there while the water is cool, and gradually turn up the heat, it won’t notice the change until it’s too late. It'll just acclimate and then, well, croak.< that if you place a frog in a boiling kettle of water, it’ll hop right out. But if you place the frog in there while the water is cool, and gradually turn up the heat, it won’t notice the change until it’s too late. It'll just acclimate and then, well, croak.

OK, it’s a little morbid. But in the context of marketing communications, it’s a very important concept.

When you get new prospects, you probably don’t want to hit them over the head with an immediate sales pitch. That’s like throwing a frog in boiling water. Chances are much higher that they will put their guard up and retreat for safety.

How to Avoid This

Instead, use effective marketing communications to gradually turn up the heat. Pardon the pun, but they usually need to warm up to you before you ask them to part with their money.

Remember, marketing and sales are about relationships. People do business with people they like, know, and trust. And these types of relationships take time to build. It’s a process.

Let your prospects get to know you, your company, and your products or services. Give them valuable information at no charge. Establish a bond. And get to know them as they get to know you.

When the time comes to make your pitch and start selling to th