Matt Thurmond, University of Washington golf coach, spoke to a group of my business owner clients on building the brand of UW golf. The UW has built a fantastic golf program, ranked third in the country at the time of this writing. I pulled 10 tips from Matt’s presentation that apply to everybody’s business. Do these things and you’ll build your brand, increase your business and its value.
- Turn a perceived disadvantage into an advantage. In Matt’s case, the Seattle rain. Anybody can play good golf in the sunny climates. Become a great golfer in the rain and you’ll be even better in more “ideal” conditions. FYI, in the NCAA top 25 rankings, 22 schools are those we associate with good golfing weather locations (year-round). What “disadvantage” can you use to build your business?
- Create an advisory board. In other words, don’t try to do it all yourself. And listen to their input.
- Host signature events. In business, this translates to marketing events, client appreciation functions, press parties, new product introductions, etc.
- Have a goal to have the most fun. This means build a team, create a culture of fun, collaboration and dedication. Everybody likes to be part of a winning team because winning creates fun.
- Have competitive milestones. Know where you want to go. Whether you call it your vision, strategy, goals or objectives you’ll get there and get there faster if everybody knows what you and they are aiming for.
- Have great facilities. Easy to understand in sports, less obvious in business but make sure your environment is conducive to getting results. A beat-up looking office, warehouse or factory doesn’t encourage people to do their best.
- Use the (appropriate) media. Let the world, your world anyway, know about you. Silence is golden may be a classic song but silence doesn’t do your business any good.
- Use the (appropriate) social media. Not into social media, realize it is not going to go away. Know what’s best for you. Do you have a consumer product? Then you better be using Facebook Twitter, Yelp and more. For me, my blog and e-newsletters are what people like.
- Get elite play from our top players. Hire great people, especially at the management level, and expect great things from them. There is not a better way to grow your top and bottom line than to give your top people access to the drivers seat and let them drive your growth train down the tracks.
- Be hands on with past players. In the case of a business, stay in touch with current and past customers. You never know when they’ll be referring your business, ordering more or putting in a good word for you.
