Monday, April 15, 2013

The importance of winning

Whether you're a professional sports team or a B2B company, winning is important.  It's not just about being recognized, getting an award, or even being the best at something.  It's about association.  People not only prefer to be associated with positive qualities, such as winning, they will actively seek out the opportunity to do so.  

I was born and raised in Kansas.  I don't consider that to be a bad thing by any means, but there are only a few occasions when I feel proud of my childhood state.  One of those times is during March Madness, the NCAA tournament.  Normally this is because KU is expected to go far, but this year Wichita State University was the team to go to the final four.  

Although my parents were married in Wichita, it's the air capital of the world, the birth place of Pizza Hut, and it is the biggest city in Kansas (Kansas City is mainly located in Missouri, but that's another story), I have almost no love for the city.  The strange thing is that when I overheard two guys discussing the Wichita State basketball program, I almost blurted out, "I grew up in Kansas."

When the home town team is on a losing streak, most people distance themselves from the action with comments like, "They can't seem to get it together."  But, when the team is winning, everyone basks in the glory and takes ownership.  "They" and "The team" quickly changes to "We" and "Our team."  There is also a coincidental phenomenon relating to the number of people who buy and wear team paraphernalia after a major win.

Winning and being the front runner, whether by an inch or a mile, is something we can all be proud of.  For sports teams, this means more donations.  For businesses, it means more sales.

What are your clients proud of?

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