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As Americans, we’ve grown up enjoying the traditional family gathering every November to give thanks.

Each year, we sit at a table filled with turkey and pumpkin pie and then enjoy some post-dinner football. Ever wonder how in the world it all got started?

Behold the power of persistence.

We all know the story of the Pilgrims of 1621. But many don’t know that although there was an occasional day of thanks after 1621, the date varied, and several years often passed between celebrations. It was hardly the annual holiday we know today.

In fact, President Thomas Jefferson scoffed at the idea of a day of thanks.

We would all be at work on the fourth Thursday in November and cranberry sauce-free, if it were not for Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor who wrote editorials on the subject and also letters to governors and presidents. Hale felt so strongly that our country should observe a day of thanks that she maintained her campaign for nearly 40 years until in 1863 President Lincoln finally declared the last Thursday in November a national day of thanks.

Imagine if she had written just one editorial or letter and then given up.

And yet that’s what marketers do every day. They try something once or twice and then toss in the towel. If you know you have a good idea, don’t let fear, time or pressure wear you down. If you truly believe you are the right fit for a potential client, don’t accept “no.” That’s the difference between someone just doing a job and someone being passionate about his or her job.

Passionate about your offering? Keep lobbying for a chance to tell the story. Even if it takes 40 years.

Drew McLellan is Top Dog at McLellan Marketing Group and blogs at www.drewsmarketingminute.com. He can be reached at Drew@MclellanMarketing.com. © 2010 Drew McLellan