Time of Day and Waiting
The morning is when an army is fresh and keen. This is the time to avoid. An army is sluggish in the evening just before bedtime. You should attack when an army is sluggish and avoid an army when they are keen.
Sun Tzu said this, A clever general, therefore, avoids an army when its spirit is keen, but attacks it when it is sluggish and inclined to return. This is the art of studying moods.
The ideal army should be well rested and wait for the opponent to appear sluggish or disordered. This will be an opportune time to attack. The army should be as well rested and strong as possible while the opponent is struggling. Once the opponent is tired out, it is a good time for an attack.
Sun Tzu said, To refrain from intercepting an enemy whose banners are in perfect order, to refrain from attacking an army drawn up in calm and confident array:--this is the art of studying circumstances.
In business, climates change often. There are times of the year when a business is very busy and tired. There are also times of the year when a business is slow. One example of this is landscaping. The landscaping season starts in March and gets really busy in May-August and then slows down again in September and finally ends around the end of October. If you wish to compete, in landscaping, you will have an easier time in the Summer when all the firms are very tired and beaten from all the work. A firm that takes on less work can manage things well and make good strategic decisions. Many firms take on too much work, in the busy season, and find they are too tired to keep up with good management. The key point is to take on less and you will actually end up with more. You can really compete in the busy months because the other firms are too busy anyway to do all the work necessary. That leaves a well managed business in a good position.
The time of day is also important. Some clients will refuse to pay their bills. It is easier to get paid going to their home late at night than to see them in the morning. When they want to retire to their bed, they won't want to talk and argue over it and may just pay it all.
Car dealerships use this strategy of wearing you down. They might make you stay up so late that you can't stand it. They may also ask you to bring your family down and that will be even more irritating when it takes them hours and hours to get the paperwork done. This strategy works on a lot of customers that no longer care about the total cost. Then, after being well rested in the morning, the people often regret their decision and wonder how they did something so dumb. It's easy. They were tired and worn out and that is why they made the poor decision.
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