A Virtue Worth Practising

Most people in marketing are always in a rush. They are in a great hurry and do not have patience. Hence, they either end up losing opportunities or making a weak foundation instead of a strong base.

• Rushing leads to compromises in strategies and execution.
• Short-cuts often result in reduced quality of work, systems, or strategies.
• A hurried approach prevents the creation of a strong, sustainable brand.

This does not mean that one should delay things or that there should be a slowdown. You need not drag things either. It only means that due time should be given to every strategy and system in marketing, as is needed and as it deserves.

For that, the marketer needs to have patience.

Just as a child, when born, needs proper nurturing, care, and love to be brought up patiently, so does a brand. In Hindi, it is called parvarish.

• Haste makes waste – rushing leads to half-baked consequences.
• Pressure marketing does not give strong, lasting results.
• It often results in short-term gains at the cost of long-term success.

Instead, ‘patience marketing’ allows for nurturing and caring for the brand in all its aspects and elements. A well-nurtured brand develops sustainability, credibility, and long-term value in the market.

When you develop a new product or service through innovation and new ideas, it takes time to incubate, fine-tune, and incorporate feedback from research results into the final products or services. This requires patience.

Some people are patient while constructing a factory and setting up infrastructure, including office space, yet they are in a rush when it comes to developing a new product or service. This imbalanced thinking could lead to the under-development or incorrect development of a potential product or service.

‘Patience marketing’ should be practised across all elements in a balanced manner.

The brand name of a new product or service and its positioning is strategic to achieving a successful brand launch. Creativity and strategic thought must be applied when naming a brand and defining its positioning.

To ensure success:

• The needs of the consumer must be kept in mind.
• The attributes of the product or service should be considered.
• The relevance of the new product or service in the marketplace, especially in comparison to competition, must be evaluated.

This requires patience.

If brand naming is done in a rush and without considerable thought, it could create problems such as:

• The need to reverse and retract the name.
• Rebranding with a new name, leading to additional costs, time, and effort.

This is why patience marketing is recommended in brand naming and positioning.

Communicating the benefits and features of a new brand through creative inputs and media strategy requires thought and planning. To enter the mind and heart of consumers and make it a memorable brand requires immense effort. This also requires patience.

Every element of advertising needs to be crafted in a proper, well-considered manner. This applies to:

• Layout, design, and colors
• Audio, video, and tunes
• Duration and other creative elements

Additionally, a proper media plan must be developed, keeping in mind the objectives and desired results in terms of reach, frequency, and other key parameters. A judicious use of the media mix—whether print, outdoor, audio, audiovisual, or digital—must be strategically planned.

All this requires patience marketing.

For a new brand to be launched or an existing brand to grow requires proper sales and distribution strategies and their efficient implementation. Availability is critical to success, whether online or offline. This too requires patience.

Key aspects include:

• Selecting, training, and regularly reviewing the right sales team.
• Avoiding ‘hire and fire’ approaches, which could backfire on the company.
• Allowing salespeople to evolve by providing them with product and service knowledge as well as systems and strategies.
• Training channel partners, distributors, and retailers patiently.

All these factors make patience in marketing an important part of a brand’s success journey. Think about this patiently!