I love March Madness. I think it’s the best post-season tournament in all sports – college or professional. What makes it so fun is the unpredictability of the outcomes of the games. Every year, some “Cinderella Team” emerges to knock off heavy favorites and bust the brackets of many millions of fans around the country. The tournament is filled with talented players making incredible plays, the highest level of competition, and dramatically dizzying finishes of games. Even the most pedestrian sports fans are drawn to it and often fill out their own office pool bracket.
How do you bring that same magic, that same “madness,” to your business?
While you aren’t a high profile basketball tournament, you should be high profile in what you do. The same elements that make up a wildly popular sporting event are present in your own potential popularity. For instance:
- The tournament is different than the others based on the number of entries and the time span. How are you different than your competition?
- This tournament is defined by its drama. Are you an object of interest to your prospective clients? Do you make them lean forward when discussing your value?
- The value for the viewer is sheer fun. What do you bring to the table? Is it dull or dynamic?
- The tournament is ubiquitous for the next 3 weeks. Are you as visible to your target class of business? How deep is your intellectual property empire?
- The tournament is the ultimate water cooler discussion. Are people quoting you? Are they seeking you out as an interview? How strong is your cache?
Here’s the deal…
You don’t have to be popular to college basketball fans, but you do to your audience. During last night’s game between Robert Morris University and North Florida, North Florida coach Matt Driscoll was being interviewed and said he challenged his players by telling them to be “ballers” (hoops vernacular to a dynamic performer). He said “Ballers make plays. Dudes are just dudes…you need to be ballers.” In other words, anyone can go out on the court and be regular. They needed to be special.
Are you just a “dude” or are you a “baller?” Take a cue from the very best of the madness and go be special; be unique; and be a “baller.”
© 2015 Dan Weedin. All rights reserved
