For years, I’ve noticed something that almost every business gets backwards.
They spend all their time looking for the tiny percentage of people who need them today.
A Realtor looks for people selling this year.
A personal injury lawyer looks for someone who was just in an accident.
A roofer looks for someone with a leaking roof.
The problem is, those people are a tiny minority at any given moment.
Everyone else gets ignored.
Thirty years ago, while reading The One to One Future, I had an idea that simply wouldn’t leave me alone.
What if, instead of marketing to the transaction, you became the advocate for the category?
Not the person who sells homes.
The person who helps homeowners.
Not the lawyer people call after an accident.
The person who helps drivers avoid accidents, prepare for emergencies, and know exactly what to do when something goes wrong.
That one shift changes everything.
Advocates don’t have to invent reasons to stay in touch. They always have something useful to share.
Home maintenance.
Seasonal checklists.
Trusted local resources.
Emergency guides.
Ideas that make life easier.
When you consistently help people live between the transactions, something remarkable happens.
You become the obvious choice when the transaction finally arrives.
Nobody appoints you as the advocate.
It’s a position you simply decide to occupy.
I’ve always believed every market has an opportunity like this.
Instead of asking, “How do I find more buyers?”
Ask, “What would the most helpful person in this category create?”
That’s where the real leverage is.
Because the business that owns the relationship rarely has to compete for the transaction.