Sometimes you need to go slow to go fast.

There is an adage in business that if you’re not growing, you’re dying. There’s no remaining just as you are.

As a person, you’re never finished either. We’re always evolving and growing. That’s what fuels us. There is no ‘you’ve arrived’ and can now just be still.

Few of us, I think, want to stay exactly as we are. Except we might want to hang on to that soft fall beach air just a little longer before the sun falls beneath the horizon. We might want to hit the pause button on fast.

Yet in a world at warp speed going slow seems futile. Technology changes too fast. Markets change. People are fickle and always on to the next shiny thing.

This culture of speed makes building a standout brand harder. It makes you think as a brand that you have to move ever faster too.

In the era of speed, little has value. That social post you labored over? Poof! The software update? Wait, here’s another one. Oh, and here’s another platform you MUST be on in 2024. What? You’re not on it?

Where’s the speed limiter on the throttle when you need it? Eventually we’re all going to careen off the road.

Whoa.

What if you were able to slow work down? What if you were able to put in the time to develop meaning in your brand and what you did (maybe you are one of the lucky ones who do so already)?

Our brains are not wired or trained to think this fast. All the time. Sure, you need to make split decisions - at times - but you’re able to do so effectively on things for which you have deep mastery.

When we go fast, we miss opportunities to connect with our customers and create better experiences. We miss opportunities to create substance. Things that endure the fad of the week. Speed over value.

Your customers may remember how fast you were, but may not be happy if the end product is poorly built or serviced. Speed may not always matter. What they really want is their problems solved.

I recognize going slow may sound hypocritical given we promise two-day turnaround on many creative projects. That we sell speed and efficiency. Behind that is a lot of experience and understanding of what goes into marketing that matters. Marketing that’s human yet still helps a business grow.

And sometimes projects WILL take longer.

I’m advocating using speed strategically and giving yourself permission to breathe.

Process > Outcome

James Clear talks about how optimizing for process allows you to win over and over again. Taking time to build good processes sets you up to go as fast as your customers need you to go.

Slow can be powerful.

“Time is the friend of a wonderful business, the enemy of mediocre.” - Warren Buffett

Quality relationships take time to build. If you invest in building a solid foundation for your business, you’ll create enduring value. This foundation will help you withstand the wild pitches and swings of the market because you’ll have a clear through-line. You’ll know why you exist and what problems you’re solving. And you’ll solve them well creating happy customers who’ll tell other people creating a virtuous cycle of sustainable growth.

This foundation will allow you to go fast when you need to.

Think about going slow when you’re planning the year ahead, designing products and solving customer problems better than anyone else. Go slow when you’re writing to and for your customers. Words are powerful and they can sense whether or not you care about them or just want to sell another product.

Go slow when you’re mapping the end to end customer experience.

Pause before you add more and more features and complexity to your products or business. Take the time to make sure they add rather than subtract. More is not always better. Simplicity takes time and effort to get right. It’s easier to be fast and complex rather than fast and simple when you’re building because you need that time to make sure the UX is spot on.

Slow can be a differentiator that lets you deliver more value to your customers. Just like anything in life, moderation beats excess. Use slow strategically. It’s not an excuse for inaction. It’s not an excuse to take too long to get back to your customers.

The reality is that the pace of business isn’t slowing down. The key is to inject enough slowness into your work so that you build resilience, substance and humanity into your brand. You can choose how you engage with social media. Set expectations for when you’ll respond. And when you won’t.

If you have a strong connection built with trust and confidence in what you do for them, they’ll respect that. And if they don’t, maybe they’re not the right customer (yes, none of us are right for everyone).

Growth by Design - Free Webinar

On November 14 I’m hosting a free webinar on using the power of design to drive leads and sales. In short, marketing that is impactful and human. Please share with anyone you think may benefit too!