The Goldilocks Syndrome

Goldilocks & Three Bears, via Flickr

Around 4 am nearly every morning, I have the (dis)pleasure of being awakened by a hopelessly enthusiastic trilling bird. It’s not that the bird is not there every morning – or at least I assume it’s always there – but sometimes I sleep through it. But that’s not the real point of this blog. Communications and timing is the point. The bird has particularly bad timing, though he/she is definitely consistent. And since I was awake, it made me start thinking about communications methods and timing, and suddenly Goldilocks popped into my head.

Yes, it is a stretch, but not that big of one. If I had a little more time and creativity, I’d like to write my own modern day fable because they have such a tidy way of delivering the moral of the story. But for now, I’ll borrow a familiar one.

Goldilocks boils down to ‘too much, too little or just right’. Oh yes, and not intruding where you’re not invited. Marketing has the same issues. How do you go where you have not been asked in? And are you providing information too often, not often enough or just right? Is it too hot – too cold – or just right? Too big – too small, too hard – too soft. You certainly remember the tale.

And to make it worse, the ‘too soft’ for some, is ‘just right’ for others. Mama Bear apparently liked her squishy bed, but Papa Bear preferred something sturdier. I won’t go further with that.

Since I’m an information addict, I prefer to get some news daily – while other kinds of prodding reminders are only useful, well, as reminders, usually to do something like pay the bills, or attend a webinar that I registered for, or catch the last day of a sale at Bluefly.

For myself and my clients, finding that comfortable ‘just right’ for stimulating action with prospects and customers is a never-ending experiment. I must admit that Obama’s Healthcare Reform campaign seems to be doing a pretty good job of judging just when to send me a ‘keep up the good work’ message, along with an easy click button to help out just a little more.

So – that’s the goal. Try to get to the shores of Just Right and avoid the inhospitable islands of Not Enough and Too Much.

Interestingly, I’m not the only one who worries about the Goldilocks Syndrome (though I have not asked any of these other authors if they were inspired by an operatic bird). For some other twists on applied fairy tales:
The Goldilocks Syndrome: Successful CRM often takes more than one try to get just right.
The Goldilocks Syndrome versus the Ubermeasure
The Goldilocks Syndrome: Getting Rid of the Bears in Your Life
Retribution and the Goldilocks Syndrome

Donna

Photo credit hoyasmeg