I have been known to beep my horn when the car in front dithers at the lights.

I have tutted loudly when the woman in the thirsty coffee shop queue asks about the provenance of her organic soy mochacinno.

I’ve complained to the pizza company when my order was 7 minutes late (I get hangry*, ok?).

I am NOT by nature a patient person. That’s pretty clear.

But when it comes to marketing, I am the zen guru of patience.

The high priestess of persistence.

The all-powerful authority on perseverance.

Oh yes.

Just a sniff of my serene aura could put you in a coma, it’s that strong.

Why?

Because I know patience can make the difference between success and failure in marketing.

Patience is a secret weapon that few people value enough. After all, we live in a world of gimme-it-now gotta-have-it instant gratification.

We don’t wait a week for the next instalment of our favourite TV series. Oh no. We binge watch it all in one go. Amazon Prime is our new best friend. And this want-it-get-it culture can be great.

But not in marketing. Because in marketing and sales it’s the tortoises, not the hares, who get rewarded.

Slowly Slowly Catchy Monkey (And More Customers)

Just recently I signed up a wonderful new client who I’ve been talking to for nearly two years. Two whole years.

It’s proof that good things really do come to those who wait. (Like the 30 minutes cooking time for those oozing chocolate fondants on dessert menus. So worth it.)

Some marketing or sales activities might bring in new business straight away, but others might take months or years to deliver. But the slow burners can often deliver the biggest results.

So when I hear clients tell me things like:

‘We tried a newsletter for a few weeks but it fizzled out’

‘We did call a few clients last year but nothing came of it’

‘We tried to get in touch with that prospect once already but didn’t get anywhere’

I tell them to try again. Keep going. To be patient.

To try a different approach. A more creative approach. Or a more consistent one. Because some things just take time. And you can gain so much simply by persevering when your competitors have turned out the lights and gone home.

So the moral of this story is: make like a tortoise if you want to catch that monkey. (I’ve clearly never been afraid to mix a metaphor.)