What’s Next?

Love him or hate him, it’s hard to ignore the success that Jeff Bezos has achieved with Amazon. I recently read a quote from him that has great application for those of us in the advertising/marketing/business consulting world. Bezos said:

“Nobody pays for a product or service; they pay for satisfaction.”

This is also consistent with RAB’s number one rule of advertising: people do not buy products and services; they buy what the product or service does for them. With the pace of change affecting all of us, we are challenged to consider what we are offering now and ask whether it will be enough in the future. Bezo’s goes on to say:

“You can’t stop at what you’re good at, you have to ask what do your customers need or want. And no matter how difficult it is, you’d better get good at those things.”

Bring this home to our world. Our advertisers want fully integrated marketing strategies and solutions. Being a “radio” seller, a “TV” seller or a “newspaper rep” is no longer enough. As difficult as it is, we must get better and expand our knowledge in all forms of advertising, all platforms and tactics.

As we head into the weekend, ask yourself some questions:

1. What do my customers want that I’m not now providing? 
2. What will they want in the future, and how will I be prepared?

Managers, those would be great questions to ask in a sales meeting next week.

If you’re not planning and learning for the future, it will be here before you know it, and if you’re not prepared, you’ll be part of the past. Obsolete is an ugly word. Continuously asking what’s next and learning what’s next is the only way to avoid being obsolete.

Happy Friday!

Think Big, Make Big Things Happen!

Jeff Schmidt is the SVP of Professional Development. You can reach him at Jeff.Schmidt@RAB.com. You can also connect with him on X, YouTube, and LinkedIn.