If you’re dad was like mine, he lived in the delicate balance between delivering on my mother’s threat, “Just wait until your father comes home!” and reaching out his big arms to squeeze me tight when life didn’t go well.

I didn’t realize how difficult being so big was until I was in LAX with my parents waiting for a flight to JFK. Just before the plane took off a man entered the gate area who towered over my dad.

My dad's eyes lit up as he gave me the elbow. In a loud whisper he said, “That’s Kareem!”

Before I had time to be embarrassed, I turned to see the basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar bend down to shake hands and take photos with the kids who had gathered around him.

As I looked at Kareem patiently engaging with the boys and girls around him, I smiled. Because, like my dad (who was no sports star), he understood that he had to be kinder and more open to strangers due to his physical size.

My dad’s softer side bloomed after his grandsons were born and he became the captain of bath time. It was a softer side of my father that I don’t remember from when I was a kid.

Beyond deepening my relationship with you by sharing these memories about my dad, I want you to see that people evolve over time.

This observation is critical for your marketing because both you and your audience change. Your goal is to create content and communications that support your prospects’ needs and persuade people to purchase from you.​​​​​​​

Before you click on to the next item, here’s why this matters:

The hard truth may be that they’ve found a better or cheaper option to fulfill their need.

But it’s also possible that they didn't buy anything at all or let someone else make the purchase decision.

Therefore, like your dad, you need to continue to be there for them and offer useful content until they’re ready to listen to you.

If you have a memory about your dad that you’d like to share with me, just hit respond.

Happy Marketing,
Heidi Cohen

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