I finally changed my windscreen wipers the other day.
In truth, they’d been deteriorating for some time now - doing less and less of the job they were designed to do.
But over the summer, during that generally good weather, it was a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’ - I didn’t need them, so I didn’t consciously notice just how bad they were.
It was only a couple of weeks ago that their condition really shone through
I was driving to Hertfordshire for a couple of hours, and had heavy rain all the way, with the return journey even worse.
It’s fair to say that at that point, it really hit home that my wipers were not fit for purpose, and I resolved that I’d change them the very next day.
However, the next day brought bright, brilliant sunshine, and after a quick check of the forecast, it looked like it wasn’t going to rain for the next week.
With a million things on my ‘To-Do List’, a special trip to Halfords wasn’t hugely desirable - it was tremendously tempting to put it off. After all, it wasn’t going to rain for a week, so I wouldn’t need them anyway.
In the end though, I resolved just to do it – I drove to Halfords that evening and acquired a new pair of all bells and whistles Bosch wipers.
Job done.
As it turned out, the forecast wasn’t as good as suggested, and later that week I found myself in torrential rain again, this time with a pair of world-class wipers expertly clearing the windscreen. (Picture smug face 😉)
Had I waited until I ‘needed them’ - i.e. when the rain began - it would have been too late; I’d have been subjected to another journey with less visibility and more risk.
But because I’d got organised ahead of time, I was in the clear, while the sky was anything but.
And this principle of taking action before you need to is hugely relevant when it comes to marketing.
The truth is, that a lot of local advertisers only get around to focusing on their marketing when they need customers this month.
Your message to them should be clear - Marketing for the imminent future is simply not an adequate way of advertising.
And the reason why is simple: with so much competition around, the only way to come out on top, is for them to be in their potential customer’s consciousness well before they decide to buy.
Advertisers would be well-versed to subscribe to this principle…
Become known, before you’re needed.
By marketing consistently, regardless of how full the order book is, they can fill up their sales funnel with people who know who they are, like what they offer, and trust what they say … all ahead of time.
Waiting until the rain comes is a sure-fire way to for them to miss out on a considerable proportion of potential customers. And if they’re serious about building a profitable, sustainable business, that’s the last thing they want to happen.
