The Will To Win
How badly do you want your brand to win?
Does your team have the will to fight?
Do they take every challenge personally?
Brands that win, fight. Growing a Sticky Brand takes more than building a strategy and executing it. It’s personal. It’s you versus them. And losing is not an option.
Dave Logan (et al.) writes in Tribal Leadership, “Most strategies are based on an understanding of the external environment, not the highest aspirations of the tribe. As a result, even the best plans often fail because people aren’t giving it their all.”
It’s the will to win that separates average companies from Sticky Brands. Any team can come up with a brilliant idea, but only the driven will see it through to the finish line.
Every Superhero has an Arch Enemy
Who is your team fighting against?
Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce.com, writes in Behind the Cloud, “Salesforce.com only acknowledged one competitor — the market leader. After all, that was the only position for which we were vying. Furthermore, it cast us in the right role as the underdog and visionary. It’s always wise to play the visionary card. Everyone roots for you. If there is no Goliath in your industry, go after the status quo.”
A hero has an arch enemy. It’s that big scary monster that you have to defeat.
In the early years, Salesforce.com built its brand by challenging (and ultimately defeating) Siebel. Apple built its brand by challenging Microsoft. Starbucks built its brand by challenging the status quo of cheap, diner coffee.
What is your brand’s arch enemy? Identify the enemy to your brand:
The market leader
The status quo
Someone else
David Versus Goliath
Defeating an arch enemy is no easy task.
When Salesforce.com attacked Siebel in 2001 they were a tiny startup with a few million in revenue. Siebel in contrast was a publicly traded company with revenue of $1.8 billion and 8,000 employees.
It was a classic David versus Goliath story. The small but very aggressive startup attacked the market leader until it became the Goliath of the CRM industry.
Siebel was acquired in 2006 by Oracle. It was hurt by the tech wreck of the early 2000’s, and it did not have an effective response to Salesforce.com’s software-as-a-service business model.
You’re not going to change the status quo overnight, and that means you need the stamina to attack again and again.
Each small victory is a step forward. Each attack is a progression. Every day your team has to reenergize itself to take on the fight and attack again.
Rally Your Team to Fight
A fight is personal. You’re defending your convictions. You’re protecting your customers. You’re challenging the status quo. You are defeating your brand’s arch enemy.
Fight!
A team that is driven to fight and challenge conventions will go far further than a team that’s executing a business strategy.
A team that takes every challenge personally will push harder and accomplish more faster than a team of “doers.”
A team that wants to win and is committed to winning will grow a Sticky Brand.
