Dedication, Hard Work, Persistence: The Stuff of Champions

What does it take to become a champion in your market? The same as it take to win the Stanley Cup.

As a resident of Michigan and a Detroit Red Wings fan, it has been a thrilling week. The Wings brought home the Stanley Cup to Detroit for the 11th time in their history.

I've been fortunate to have witnessed four of them and also have seen other championship trophies be hoisted by our local heroes - 2 by the Tigers, 3 by the Pistons and several by the Wolverines and Spartans.

So what does this have to do with marketing? A lot!

The lesson is this: It doesn't matter what you are trying to win, there are many critical factors involved that put you on top of all of your competitors. But, there are three factors stand above the rest: Dedication, Hard Work and Persistence.

This year's NHL champs had a huge supply of each of these qualities. A typical small business owner must also possess large quantities of all three. Most businesses don't go through a defined season that begins at opening day and ends with a trophy presentation. Instead, they compete in a never ending competition each and every day to score sales and win profits.

Every entrepreneur must be dedicated to their business success. Like hockey players, there's a lot of sweat and blood that goes into reaching the top. It's not easy to come out on top with all the hurdles and obstacles that are put in front of you. Being dedicated to your vision and working with a sense of purpose is indispensable to consistent sales.

Hard work is usually the difference between success and failure. As a football coach, I could tell plenty of stories that show a less talented player achieving success because of their work ethic. It's no cliche that hard work is rewarded in business and life. However, hard work must also be teamed with working smart to truly lead to a championship.

Persistence is the most vital intangible in sports and business. Handling adversity and refusing to give up on your goals is critical to winning anything. At heart of persistence is an unwavering belief in what you have dedicated to yourself to. Without this belief, there is little chance of reaching an goal.

Marketing your business must be built on dedication, hard work and persistence. If you lack in any of these three qualities your business will suffer and not achieve the status of being a champion.

You may never get to hoist the Stanley Cup, but as a marketing champion in your industry you could hoist a big, fat wallet full of cash instead.