---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The most important thing is to forecast…"
description: "\"The most important thing is to forecast where customers are moving, and be in front of them.\" — Philip Kotler"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67d/philip-kotler-8278_customers_the-most-important-thing-is-to-forecast_1308409.jpg"
---

#  The most important thing is to forecast where customers…

![“The most important thing is to forecast where customers are moving, and be in front of them.” quote by Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67d/philip-kotler-8278_customers_the-most-important-thing-is-to-forecast_1308409.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67d/philip-kotler-8278_customers_the-most-important-thing-is-to-forecast_1308409.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67d/philip-kotler-8278_customers_the-most-important-thing-is-to-forecast_1308409.jpg)

> “The most important thing is to forecast where customers are moving, and be in front of them.”

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Successful marketing requires anticipating customer shifts and positioning ahead of competitors.

**In simple terms:** Predict trends and stay ahead.

Key Takeaway

Forecast and act early.

Themes

marketing strategy forecasting

Mood

analytical strategic

Type

business educational

When to use this quote

- product launches
- market entry
- sales planning

Key Concepts

customer behavior competitive advantage

Questions to Reflect On

- What data best predicts customer moves?
- How can firms stay flexible after forecasting?

A Different Perspective

Forecasts can be wrong; over‑reliance may cause missteps.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Forecast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forecast/) [Important things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-things/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/)

## Related quotes

> [“predictions can’t vary more than the thing being forecast.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-h-thaler/predictions-can-t-vary-more-than-the-thing-being-forecast/)

[Richard H. Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-h-thaler/)

> [The forecast today is love all around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-kelly/the-forecast-today-is-love-all-around/)

[R. Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-kelly/)

> [There is only one more thing for me to say: Please help make my forecast wrong. Together we could create a much better world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-rgen-randers/there-is-only-one-more-thing-for-me-to-say-please-help-make-my/)

Jørgen Randers

> [You realise Group Captain that this might be the most important weather forecast in history?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-realise-group-captain-that-this-might-be-the-most-important/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [I will be able to forecast which side will be victorious and which defeated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/i-will-be-able-to-forecast-which-side-will-be-victorious-and-which/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

> [I believe is that we can forecast the "changing landscape of context," and thus get insight into when we are entering the danger zone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-casti/i-believe-is-that-we-can-forecast-the-changing-landscape-of-context/)

[John L. Casti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-casti/)

> [The future is not to be forecast, but created.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/the-future-is-not-to-be-forecast-but-created/)

[Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/)

> [You don't want to influence the same system you are trying to forecast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-silver/you-don-t-want-to-influence-the-same-system-you-are-trying-to-forecast/)

[Nate Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-silver/)

> [Pundits forecast not because they know, but because they are asked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/pundits-forecast-not-because-they-know-but-because-they-are-asked/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [Give me the character and I will forecast the event.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/give-me-the-character-and-i-will-forecast-the-event/)

[Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/)

> [It is not for us to forecast the future, but to shape it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/it-is-not-for-us-to-forecast-the-future-but-to-shape-it/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [Some things, like the orbits of the planets, can be calculated far into the future. But that's atypical. In most contexts, there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/some-things-like-the-orbits-of-the-planets-can-be-calculated-far-into/)

[Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/)

> [No one can forecast the economy with certainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-dimon/no-one-can-forecast-the-economy-with-certainty/)

[Jamie Dimon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-dimon/)

> [“Cultural products will spread faster and wider when everybody can see what everybody else is doing. It suggests that the future of many hit-making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-thompson/cultural-products-will-spread-faster-and-wider-when-everybody-can-see/)

[Derek Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-thompson/)

> [“Vision is the foresight or forecast or insight into the future. Vision is the picture of one's destiny or accomplishment, or simply what a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/vision-is-the-foresight-or-forecast-or-insight-into-the-future-vision/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

## More by Philip Kotler

> [The best way to hold customers is to constantly figure out how to give them more for less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/the-best-way-to-hold-customers-is-to-constantly-figure-out-how-to/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [The internet will create the winnerand bury the laggards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/the-internet-will-create-the-winnerand-bury-the-laggards/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [There is no such thing as a commodity. It is simply a product waiting to be differentiated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-commodity-it-is-simply-a-product-waiting/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [Don’t buy market share. Figure out how to earn it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/don-t-buy-market-share-figure-out-how-to-earn-it/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [The future isn’t ahead of us. It has already happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/the-future-isn-t-ahead-of-us-it-has-already-happened/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [Marketing is the set of human activities directed at facilitating and consummating exchanges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/marketing-is-the-set-of-human-activities-directed-at-facilitating-and/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [Curiosity is the starting point for great science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/curiosity-is-the-starting-point-for-great-science/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [There is much work to do to protect forests from over-timbering and oceans and lakes from over-fishing. We need to encourage and reward companies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/there-is-much-work-to-do-to-protect-forests-from-over-timbering-and/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [Great insight comes from seeing something as odd and finding out why.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/great-insight-comes-from-seeing-something-as-odd-and-finding-out-why/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [CEOs need to produce continuous growth in sales and profits. Yet they must also invest in sustainability and social responsibility, which then leave them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/ceos-need-to-produce-continuous-growth-in-sales-and-profits-yet-they/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [Requiring the payment of higher wages will lead to a loss of some jobs and a raising of prices which drives companies to search…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/requiring-the-payment-of-higher-wages-will-lead-to-a-loss-of-some/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [Republicans talk loudly about freedom and yet are against a women deciding what's best for her own body and are against the freedom of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/republicans-talk-loudly-about-freedom-and-yet-are-against-a-women/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [Marketing is not the art of finding clever ways to dispose of what you make. It is the art of creating genuine customer value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/marketing-is-not-the-art-of-finding-clever-ways-to-dispose-of-what/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [Thomas Edison had great visions (for lights, music players, movies, etc.) but he knew they didn't count until he could make them work. His…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/thomas-edison-had-great-visions-for-lights-music-players-movies-etc/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [A country's middle class is its bedrock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/a-country-s-middle-class-is-its-bedrock/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

[Explore all 82 Philip Kotler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

## More Customer quotes

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/)

[Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/)

> [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/)

[Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [Don't think OF the market. Think AS the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-fishman/don-t-think-of-the-market-think-as-the-market/)

Michael Fishman

> [If Wall Street crashes, does Main Street follow? Not necessarily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/if-wall-street-crashes-does-main-street-follow-not-necessarily/)

[Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/)

> [The exact details of how you practice value investing will vary investor to investor, but the fundamental principle of scouring the world, looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-tilson/the-exact-details-of-how-you-practice-value-investing-will-vary/)

[Whitney Tilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-tilson/)

> [The best way to hold customers is to constantly figure out how to give them more for less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/the-best-way-to-hold-customers-is-to-constantly-figure-out-how-to/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [Perhaps the most important reason to be skeptical of government inflation numbers is that the government, like a fox campaigning to guard a hen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/perhaps-the-most-important-reason-to-be-skeptical-of-government/)

[Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/)

> [When the dollar collapses, it's not doing it in a vacuum. If the dollar loses value, it's doing so relative to some other currency.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/when-the-dollar-collapses-it-s-not-doing-it-in-a-vacuum-if-the-dollar/)

[Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/)

> [Corporations invest in sophisticated CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, programs to effectively oversee their relationship with their customers at every point during the buying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ostrofsky/corporations-invest-in-sophisticated-crm-or-customer-relationship/)

[Marc Ostrofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ostrofsky/)

> [I believe confusion is good. Worldwide market leaders gain when there is confusion in the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subhash-chandra/i-believe-confusion-is-good-worldwide-market-leaders-gain-when-there/)

[Subhash Chandra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subhash-chandra/)

> [Damn inflation, full speed ahead,' Greenspan has said in both action and word. I think an investor should believe him and invest accordingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gross/damn-inflation-full-speed-ahead-greenspan-has-said-in-both-action-and/)

[Bill Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gross/)

> [“When companies get big, they devote most of their care and feeding to the business that got them big. This is as it should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-schmidt/when-companies-get-big-they-devote-most-of-their-care-and-feeding-to/)

[Eric Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-schmidt/)

> [“Salesmanship is usually the art of making it the prospect’s problem, the salesperson’s need or desire to earn money.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/salesmanship-is-usually-the-art-of-making-it-the-prospect-s-problem/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

[Browse all 9,257 Customer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The most important thing is to forecast where customers are moving, and be in front of them.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Philip Kotler"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/the-most-important-thing-is-to-forecast-where-customers-are-moving/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Customer"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/the-most-important-thing-is-to-forecast-where-customers-are-moving/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67d/philip-kotler-8278_customers_the-most-important-thing-is-to-forecast_1308409.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67d/philip-kotler-8278_customers_the-most-important-thing-is-to-forecast_1308409.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67d/philip-kotler-8278_customers_the-most-important-thing-is-to-forecast_1308409.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The most important thing is to forecast where customers are moving, and be in front of them.” — Philip Kotler",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Philip Kotler",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The most important thing is to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/the-most-important-thing-is-to-forecast-where-customers-are-moving/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/the-most-important-thing-is-to-forecast-where-customers-are-moving/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
