Does Persistence Always Work?

I have a plaque in my office that my brother gave me many years ago when I first started in the promotional products business. It's a poem, authored by a previous president, titled Persistence. Maybe you've seen it.

Persistence
Nothing in the world takes the place of persistence.
Talent will not.
Nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent.
Genius will not.
Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not.
The world is full of educated derelicts.
The slogan "Press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
- Calvin Coolidge, 30th President

Here's my question for today. What if you're persistent in doing the wrong things? What if the strategies that used to work in your promotional products are no longer working? I believe there's been a big shift in the promotional products industry and that many of the traditional selling strategies are not working, in fact many may be obsolete.