One of the most common responses to any new idea is this: "We tried that before and it didn't work." In other words -- been there, done that.
If you truly believe in your idea, you won't allow this sort of response to kill the concept. Here are a few ways to leap this roadblock:
1. Who was "we"?
Nothing personal, but who were the people in charge of the previous effort? Did they have access to the proper personnel, resources, and technology to execute the task? Did they have the authority and permissions to get this new idea enacted?
2. How hard did they try?
Was the full-backing of the company behind the effort, was it only a half-hearted attempt? How long were they able to implement the idea? Could success have only been days away when the initiative was abandoned?
3. Did they try THIS "that" or some other "that"?
Is your idea REALLY identical to the failed attempt, or does it possess some aspects that are unique to the failed approach? Can you use the area of the original failure to give this new attempt a headstart?
4. How long ago was "before"?
Technology changes daily, there are new tools that may not have been around in the previous attempt. The company has probably hired a new person or two since the first attempt as well. Combining the newly hired brains with the newly adavanced technology may be just what's needed to make it a success this time around.
5. What didn't work?
Frequently only part of experiment fails, not the entire experiment as a whole. What little successes from the original attempt could be applied to this new effort in order to increase its chances of success? Sometimes the failures themselves can become great success of their own -- Silly Putty and Post it Notes are both examples of "failed" experiments that have become classic successes.
At one point the company believed in the idea enough to give it a shot. See if you can reignite that flame and use it to light a new path toward success.
