Sell the Prevention, Not the Cure

There’s a marketing principle that goes like this: “Don’t sell the prevention. Sell the cure.”

You don’t want to sell a product that prevents problems. You want to sell a product that cures problems.

This idea applies to relationship building, too.

If you want to impact someone’s life positively, they will remember you more when you solve their problems than when you prevent them. I think it’s because people experience a more emotional state during the moments problems happen. So, when you save the day and fix problems, the event becomes more memorable to the other person.