A client recently asked me why changing the price of his product didn't produce instant results.

He made the price change one day and contacted me the next day. He honestly expected to see dramatic results in 24 hours.

I call this the 'magic bean stalk' theory of product development and marketing.

Some people think it works kind of like the story about Jack and the bean stalk. Just throw one magic seed out the window and overnight a giant, money-sprouting plant will appear.

It doesn't work that way, in marketing or gardening.

In the real world -- as opposed to the world of children's fairy tales -- product development and marketing is a lot like gardening.

If you carefully prepare the ground, then plant the correct seeds for the climate, and then faithfully tend the young plants as they mature, you will eventually reap the rewards.

It's not magic. It's research, planning, hard work, and committment.

The moral of the story is this: There are no magic beans. If you want to harvest the fruit, you will need to till the soil, plant the right seeds, take care of the plants, and stick with it until harvest time.