Carpe Diem...

“I wanna do the tubes,” my son, PJ, decided as soon as we entered the water park.

The “tubes” are inner tubes in a lazy river. I liked his idea. Anything “lazy” sounded like great vacation activity to me. So Beth, PJ and I grabbed tubes and waded into the river.

The lazy river was a little stronger and faster than it looked. I held onto PJ’s tube as we snaked around curves and drifted under waterfalls. But soon he grew weary of me.

“Dad, let go,” he pleaded pushing me away. “I want to do it myself!”

Suddenly, it dawned on me: My window is closing. Dad may soon not be cool. PJ will become more independent. He’ll tune me out. My influence and impact will diminish.

It’s bittersweet. But there’s a lesson in it…

Parents: Seize every day. Time passes quickly.

Marketers: Seize every moment in a new product launch. Time waits for no one.

What’s new today will be old tomorrow. The novelty wears off. Your product will fade into the background. Prospects will begin tuning out your marketing messages. Editors will stop writing about your product and cover newer ones.

Planning your launch carefully is imperative. Make the most of your short window of opportunity. You can’t wing a new product rollout. Every bit of your plan needs to be in place well ahead of time. Things will move faster than you expect.

Make a plan. Work the plan. Track results.

“That was fun Dad,” PJ said reaching up for a hand out of the pool. “Can we do it again tomorrow?”

“Absolutely,” I said. “Let’s squeeze in as much fun as we can. Vacation is way too short.”