There are a lot of people surrounding me lately that are heartbroken. I am NOT going to talk about the crushing defeat that the Canucks suffered in hockey, but I would like to talk to you about the intense emotions surrounding this event.
Whether or not you follow hockey (I don't), you know what happens when there is a series event - the Stanley Cup, the Superbowl, the World Cup, the NBA Finals, the World Series...you get my point. They all have incredibly intense fans that support their teams fanatically - so to speak.
Do you know WHY there is such an incredible emotional high surrounding these sports events? I can tell you in one word: COMPETITION.
We love competition. Some people love competition too much...the riots in Vancouver are a great example of taking it too far. But there are many people who truly respect the competition and see each fight as a chance to prove to the world how far a team can go.
I have two friends who are die hard Canucks fans. I have to smile when I heard them both say something to the extent of "They played an incredible season. Congratulations to the Bruins, but my heart still beats for the Canucks."
That is respectable. I have no idea how the players on the Vancouver team are reacting right now, but I am happy to see that some of their most supportive fans are remaining strong in the face of disappointment. More to the point, they are big enough to realize that the winning team won for a reason, and deserves respect for that!
So...how does this relate to you and your business?
In a few ways, actually. Whenever there is an event that generates this level of excitement, you can tap into that fervor by shouting out your support. For example, there is a restaurant chain in Canada called Boston Pizza. During the finals it was all over the radio that they were putting up signage that "changed their name" temporarily to Vancouver Pizza. It created a buzz, to say the least. They were able to tap into the fervor with great success!
There is another way you can benefit from the reality of sports competition. Create it.
In every job I have ever held, the biggest sales were always brought in during periods where there was some sort of employee competition going on. Sometimes it was small...like the staff was divided into two teams, and the highest sales for the week would get to share a box of doughnuts. That is not a huge investment for the company, but it worked! We sold our best - not necessarily because we really wanted doughnuts, but because we really wanted to win.
Other times it was product specific. Like the sales person to sell the most of Product A would win a Product A (or some other exciting prize). Sometimes it was just a challange between a few employees. Whatever the situation, whenever faced with a competition, the staff would raise to the challenge.
Just a few weeks ago I got a call from a retailer who has been selling our Heatsavr Kit like CRAZY this year. I asked where the momentum was coming from and he said that he had a personal challenge against a colleague to see who could install the most systems before the end of the season. They were literally racing to beat each other to clients who were interested in covering their pools. And boy...was it working for them!
So, maybe it is time for you to tap into some competition. Share your ideas and results with me - I LOVE to hear your stories! Good luck, and stay respectful!
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