Finally, it's football season! I don't know about you, but I have my fingers crossed for this years' Fantasy League with members of my office. If you are an avid football fan like me, you have probably noticed that a lot of football strategy can be applied to everyday life. Here are five business tips you can learn from football season to benefit your small business:
1. Consistency is Key
You have to win more than one game to have a successful season *ahem* Vikings.
Also, you have to hold on to your consistency when it really counts. The New England Patriots had a "perfect season" in 2007, but they lost it on the one game that mattered the most.
Remember this when you are operating your small business. You need to deliver consistently positive results and consistently happy customers. Don't nail the small jobs and screw up on your one big job. With today's social media, customers are communicating with each other more than ever. It is so easy for a dissatisfied customer to post an angry tweet or Facebook comment and instantly link with many other customers who feel the same way. Your business' reputation on social media is crucial, which is why it is so important that every customer leaves happy and ready to refer friends back to you.
2. Communicate
When a football team is in trouble their coach calls them into a huddle. He may yell at them or try to give a dramatic motivational speech, but more likely he is strategizing. The secret to strategy is when everyone on the team has the same vision, the same end goal, and knows their role in the mix. Cordarelle Patterson has to know exactly where Matt Cassel wants to put the ball so that he can get there. The perfect play doesn't happen without communication.
You have a vision for your business.You have goals. You have a plan. But, does everyone on your team know what these are? Do your clients know?
You have to communicate your goals to every level of management in your small business. Every person should know their role and feel the passion that you feel. Even small steps such as displaying the vision on the walls of your office or a working chart of your goals will help create a cohesive team.
3. Rely on your team
When a quarterback has a handful of 300 pound men charging straight towards him, he really has to trust his offensive linemen to protect him. He can't get too psyched out by his opponents, or he won't make that perfect throw that lands expertly into the fingers of his receiver. Trust is crucial.
You might find it difficult to delegate tasks. I sometimes fall into the trap of thinking that if I want something done right I have to do it myself. Or there is always the problem of micromanaging. Do not make these mistakes. Employees are much happier when they feel empowered by management to make their own judgments. You also might be surprised to realize that some of your team members are actually better than you are at certain tasks.
4. Know your competition
NFL teams are constantly gathering information on the opposition. They watch them play to find their strategies, their weaknesses, their secret tricks. If a spy is successful, he will find something that his team can use against their competitors.
You need to think about this for your small business. Although you are not trying to beat out other companies for a touchdown, you are trying to win customers over to your side. Your competitors might be bigger companies that have more resources than your small business, so you need to tell consumers what you have that your competitors don't have. Perhaps you are more trustworthy and more personable. Perhaps you are greener. Perhaps your product is higher quality. Perhaps your competitor consistently does one thing wrong that you always do right. Find out what that is.
5. Get back up after you fall
You might get hit hard. But, just like in football, you have to keep getting up. Those football players aren't out there because they like to lose brain cells. They are out there because they believe in their team and themselves and their fans.
When funds are tight, the projects get messy, or your hours get to be too much, remember why you are here. You created your business for a reason. You have a team that believes in you and customers that believe in you. Now, you have to believe.
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