Take Your Foot Off The Gas - You Eventually Come to a Stop

How Entry Into Competitive Environs Increases Sales

The classic adage in motorsports was and remains, “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday”.

This goes beyond brand recognition and appeal to the masses. Intensity actually improves your business' product. This is our take on how competing at a high level raises the bar throughout every facet within an organization.

The slim line between victory and vitriol of defeat is often measured in hundredths of a second – regardless of the field of endeavor. That competitive advantage often takes the form of a technological edge.

Just a few decades ago, a 4-minute mile was unthinkable. In just a few days we will witness a dozen athletes achieve it during the Tokyo Olympics. While partly due to better training and nutrition, credit must also be given to better shoe design and construction. Sneaker manufacturers spend great resources to attain that ‘edge’ which then translates to sales once their products enter the mainstream. Entering that competitive arena requires substantial investment. These companies also become household names in the process.

Racing, at whatever capacity, pushes the envelope of excellence to greater heights. To achieve that slim advantage, manufacturers have experimented with lighter metals, nuanced technologies, even wild expressions of creativity and innovation. These often get passed onto the consumer as a public benefit to that tremendous exertion of resources on research and development. Anti-lock brakes, seatbelts, and lightweight engine blocks are just a few examples of how robust sales are the payoff for that initial investment on R+D. 

The connection with performance on the field and success in the boardroom is remarkable. Adidas and Puma were popular among professional soccer players way before they gained mainstream acceptance. Ferrari’s entire brand and sales platform hinges on their winning culture and technological edge on the racecourse. Its laboratory is Formula 1 racing while its sales platform is Madison Avenue.

Let us face it: speed accentuates all activities. Chefs do not pride themselves on slow, methodical preparation lines. Controlled chaos is preferred. Successful chefs are not daunted by a few broken eggs towards the path of making a brilliant omelet. You optimize systems and operations by undertaking them at feverish intensity.  Accelerate, improve, repeat.

Regardless of your field of expertise, do not hesitate in investing in new machinery. Focus on accelerating operations to gain efficiencies. Most importantly, compare your Team against the best in the industry. Most can jog 100 meters, but it is the elite few that can achieve it in 10 seconds.

 By Luigi Rosabianca of Shield Advisory Group