Issue 58  December 15th 2021

A Better Question

It's the time of year when I have to look up how to spell "prognosticate".

That thing when experts tell us what they think will happen in the future. Be it the next year or the next 10.

Back in 2007, Jeff Bezos reportedly told the Harvard Business Review:

"I often get the question 'In the next 10 years, what is going to change?' But I rarely get the question 'What is not going to change?'"

A much more useful question, don't you think? At least when it comes to making business plans.

Jeff knew that in 10 years, customers will still want:

• low prices
• fast delivery
• a big selection

A few years later, Bezos expanded on this thought:

What's not going to change in 10 years is probably the most important thing for us as a management team and as a Company to stay focused on because those are things we can build strategies around because we know they won't shift from underneath us...

How about our business? What won't change in the next 10 years for your clients?

For my business, I don't see these 2 things changing anytime soon:

• strategy - effective marketing starts with a plan
• copywriting - no matter the medium, words are needed to persuade and motivate

Channels and technology will continue to evolve, but core principles like "clarity beats cleverness" will remain.

What are the constants that you'll be focusing on next year?

Hit reply - I'd love to know.

Yours for smarter marketing,

Bill

913.962.9261