If You Build It, They Will NOT (Necessarily) Come

"'Build it and they will come' only works in the movies. Social media is 'build it, nurture it, engage them, and they may come and stay.'"
                                                                                 -Seth Godin

The 1989 Kevin Costner film Field of Dreams rests on a fantastical premise: Ray Kinsella, an Iowa farmer, begins hearing mysterious voices in his cornfield, instructing him to plow over his corn and build a baseball field on his land. Against all logic and sense, Kinsella proceeds, becoming the laughingstock of his neighbors. But the ghostly voice intoning "if you build it, they will come" is just too persuasive to resist. Ultimately, Kinsella's leap of faith is powerfully validated; his ball field becomes a kind of conduit of spirits, providing redemption for thousands of people, and even reuniting Kinsella with a young version of his long-dead father in the film's poignant final scene.

Field of Dreams received widespread acclaim, and its famous catch phrase- if you build it, they will come- has become a maxim for entrepreneurial endeavors of all kinds. Though the film is nearly 30 years old, that one line survives in pop culture as an encapsulation of the pure optimism needed for a true leap of faith. If you build it, they will come.

The problem, though, is that Field of Dreams is a fairy tale. A wonderfully uplifting, heartfelt and inspiring fairy tale- but a fairy tale all the same.

The reality is that it takes more- much, much more- to get people to show up. Just because you build it, doesn't mean that they will come. In fact, if you build it, they will probably ignore it. Only when you make it impossible for them to ignore it- when you bombard them with the sheer awesomeness of your endeavor, so that they can't possibly avoid it- when you circumnavigate every excuse that they can think of, and twist their arm to give it a shot- then, they just might come. And when they do, they'll find out that it's the greatest thing ever, and they'll wonder how they ever lived without it. And they'll thank you profusely for changing their lives, and post about you on Facebook and send you happy emoji texts.

But none of that will happen if you just set up shop and wait for the crowds to magically appear, like Ray Kinsella in Field of Dreams. You have to go out there and pound the pavement (sometimes literally), pitching your idea- your product- to anyone and everyone who will give you the time of day.

Many will shut the door in your face. Many will not respond to your e-mails. But most people will simply be unaware that you exist- and that is the first thing you'll need to change. Your top priority, then, is to let people know that you're here, you're open for business, and you're offering an experience that is amazing and life-changing.

Your second priority is to make sure that the experience truly is amazing and life-changing. If you tell folks that your product is life-changing, and they walk away with an experience that was "fine", then they might not return. However, if you are able to give them the experience promised, it's almost guaranteed that they will shout from the mountaintops about what you were able to give them, and they will bring others with them for the ride the next time around.

The Ogunquit Playhouse production of Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame (for which we served as Chorus Managers) recently finished its four-week run. Although we worked on recruiting the 60-voice choir for this production - an experience that we documented in a previous post- because of our travel schedules, we didn't actually get to see the show until the night before it closed.

When we watched the performance with a totally full house last Friday evening, we were absolutely amazed at the end product. More surprising, though, was the overwhelming response from the choir that we received as the show closed. We began to see emotional and heartfelt Facebook posts about the life-changing experience of performing in the show's 32-voice onstage choir. Choristers began thanking us profusely, both in person and in writing, for allowing them through the audition process to sing on the journey.

After the show closed on Saturday night, the members of the choir got together to celebrate their closing. Their dynamic Music Director, B-A Huffman, led them through a very emotional "final sing" of the show's "Entr'acte". This challenging 8-part arrangement, which opens the show's second act, is a true choral showcase- and it was the first piece that the Hunchback choir began mastering during their initial rehearsals back in June. At the closing night party, the choir sang through the piece a cappella, and from the videos that circled via social media, it was an incredibly meaningful ritual for all involved.

With the help of B-A, Chorus Master Wendell Purrington, and the Ogunquit Playhouse staff, we were able to create a streamlined process for these choristers. We promised them a life-changing experience from start to finish - when they signed up to audition, the first choral rehearsal, the first tech rehearsal, the first show, and the last get-together. We are happy to say that we were able to provide these singers with such a memorable experience. But the big takeaway for us was how hard we had to work to sign people up for an experience that really did change their lives.