We focus a lot on change. New technologies, changing preferences, the latest innovations. What we sometimes don't think enough about is what will not change.
In a fireside chat recorded about twelve years ago, Bezos talked about the importance of understanding what does not change:
"I very frequently get the question: ‘What's going to change in the next 10 years?' And that is a very interesting question; it's a very common one. I almost never get the question: ‘What's not going to change in the next ten years?' And I submit to you that that second question is actually the more important of the two — because you can build a business strategy around the things that are stable in time …
"In our retail business, we know that customers want low prices, and I know that's going to be true ten years from now. They want fast delivery; they want vast selection. It's impossible to imagine a future ten years from now where a customer comes up and says, 'Jeff, I love Amazon; I just wish the prices were a little higher,' . . . ‘I love Amazon; I just wish you'd deliver a little more slowly.' Impossible . . .
" . . . we know the energy we put into [those things} today will still be paying dividends for our customers ten years from now. When you have something you know is true, even over the long-term, you can afford to put a lot of energy into it. . .
"When you have something that you know is true, even over the long term, you can afford to put a lot of energy into it.”
In the world of professional services, I believe an unchanging truth is the power and value of a robust network of relationships.
What do you think? What will continue to be true in your discipline ten years from now?
Photo attribution: Los Angeles Air Force Base Space and Missile System Center, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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Business consultant and coach, author, and podcaster John Ray advises solopreneurs and small professional services firms on their two most frustrating problems: pricing and business development. John is passionate about how changes in mindset, positioning, and pricing change the trajectory of a business and the lifestyle choices of a business owner. His clients are professionals who are selling their expertise, such as consultants, coaches, attorneys, CPAs, accountants and bookkeepers, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.
John is the author of the national bestselling book, The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices. The book covers topics like value and adopting a mindset of value, pricing your services more effectively, proposals, and essential elements of growing your business. The book is available at all major physical and online book retailers.
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