(Picture: Super Bowl LIII)

Strategy 4 Saturday Blog (<4 minute read)

The Paris Olympics 

As athletes from around the world compete in the Paris Olympics, each one of them is striving to win a medal. What struck me while watching was the face of a U.S. swimmer who finished with a silver medal. He looked dejected. Think about this: he’s the second-best swimmer in the world at this event, yet he admitted, “I really wanted to win first, and I’m disappointed.”

This reaction isn’t limited to sports. Think of the presidential election—you either win, or you lose. There’s no second place, no shared power. If you’re not the President of the United States, you don’t get the influence, plain and simple.

In business, it’s similar. We don’t get rewarded for second place in a sales competition. If you don’t win the deal, you don’t get paid. The harsh reality is that there’s only one winner. Despite what some might believe about everyone getting a participation trophy, that’s not how it works in real life. There’s only one person who gets the gold medal, one person who wins the presidential race, and only one company that secures the deal.

This pressure to win can cause people to freeze up, recognizing that their chances of winning might be slim. But here’s the thing: in business, just like in the Olympics or a presidential race, you have to try to even have a chance to win. You need to show up and make an effort to succeed.

​But what about business? 

Unlike the Olympics, which happen once every four years, most business opportunities come around more often. That’s the amazing part. There’s a wide audience out there who could potentially buy your products or services. Just like in baseball, where a player who hits .300 is considered one of the best, in business, if you win one out of three meetings with potential clients, you’re doing very well.

But the real challenge is getting up to the plate in the first place—getting those meetings or opportunities to pitch your business. So, how do we get Olympic-level efforts to get people to meet with you, to get up to the plate, so you can have the chance to swing the bat?

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The Methods 

There are two core strategies to help move towards this goal:

• Create a Marketing Lead Engine: Attract people to you. This is one of the best methods because when someone is already interested in what you offer, your chances of converting them into a sale are much higher.
• Cold Outreach: In today’s competitive world, it may take up to 30 touches for someone to notice what you’re doing. Good old-fashioned cold outreach can be an effective way to reach new contacts who don’t know about your great products and services. This requires the hard work of prospecting and finding new opportunities. Just like searching for a gold medal, it sometimes takes 100 chances to get one potential deal.

The key is to have a clear message about what you offer and why people need it—that’s your gold. The reality in business is that the goal is to win, not to be the first loser. If you don’t create opportunities or attract people to your offer, you won’t succeed.

Let’s go back to that U.S. swimmer who won silver. He wasn’t happy because he didn’t get the gold. And in a way, that’s the same drive we need in business. It’s about showing up, making the effort, and not settling for second place. Winning isn’t just about the result—it’s about the effort you put in and the lessons you learn along the way.

In business, you have to keep trying, keep swinging, and keep aiming to get your company to the top of the podium. Because in the end, that’s where the real value lies. It’s not just about being in the game—it’s about winning it.​

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$4 M Strategies™ Podcast Next Week’s Topic is Strategic Planning:

Mon, 8/5 Carl J Cox 

Tues, 8/6 Trey Taylor

Weds, 8/7 Norman Wolfe  & Carl J Cox (Olympics Episode)

Thurs, 8/8 Cameron Herold

Fri, 8/9 Jim Huling​

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Measure Success Podcast 

Tues, 8/6

Zach Carlin | Transform Your Business: Proven Strategies for Growth

Thurs, 8/8 (Re-release!)

Cody Adent | Cody Adent Reveals Secrets to Business Triumph