Wait For It.

Today's Marketing Cookie is about waiting for perfection.

In the marketing and advertising world, a pressing urgency persists, demanding the "next big thing" be delivered immediately. We push, scramble, and rush to bring something fresh into the marketplace, with the hopes of generating more leads, sales, and revenue. When it works, and we hit our numbers, we become absolute heroes. When it doesn't exceed the numbers, it's either because we didn't take enough risks or because we were rushing too much and sprinted past the fundamentals.

First of all, it isn't easy for companies to take big risks. They sometimes break out into a rash just at the thought of doing something crazy, and many prefer to play it safe as they've always done. When your campaigns look the way they always have, it is reasonable to expect the same result.

However, when we are rushing to go to market with a big idea and trying to meet an unrealistic deadline, we aren't able to double-check our work. This is when a little detail might be missed. This is where a link might be broken, a typo may appear in the headline, or the lead capture form doesn't actually capture anything. As Benjamin Franklin once said, "Haste makes waste," and sometimes there's great value in pausing to make sure everything is ready.

Perfection takes time.

My wife takes an extraordinarily long time to prepare for a date. I fear if I tried to write a chronological journal of all the steps, my hand would cramp, or perhaps my pen would run out of ink. Just the preparation of her hair can exceed all understanding. She tries on countless combinations of outfits, samples hundreds of configurations of shoes and various handbags, and don't get me started on accessories. She single-handedly takes high fashion to new heights.

The only thing I've observed her doing that seems to take longer than getting dressed is the time she invests in wrapping a gift for others. Then, of course, it dawns on me: all of the effort she gives to achieve perfection in looking absolutely beautiful is her gracious gift to me. A stunning gift that is always worth the wait. So, to this, I must agree with today's fortune which says, "Smile when you are ready"... the little details really do matter!