Debbie LaChusa

I love sports. I love to watch sports, especially team sports like softball, baseball and football. My daughter plays softball and my son plays baseball so I spend plenty of time watching and cheering them on. I also love to play sports, although I must admit I tend to participate in individual sports more than team sports. I ran track and cross country in high school and I ran many long distance races during college, including three marathons.

One of the things I have noticed in watching sports is that there are all kinds of players. Some players are what I call "go for broke" players that give their all in every situation. They practice hard and they play even harder. They
take risks. Basically they give it all they've got. Not surprisingly, these types of players are usually very successful.

Then there are the players who play it safe. They go out trying not to lose instead of trying to win. I remember one year the San Diego Chargers were in the playoffs, and on their way to the Super Bowl. In the second half of a very important game the coach started playing it safe ... calling very conservative plays. Guess what happened? They lost the game. And, they did not make it to the Super Bowl. I don't believe you can play NOT to lose and expect to win.

There's one more kind of player - the person sitting on the bench. They're too afraid to go out and participate. What if they make a mistake? What if they don't do well? They perceive the risk as being too great, so they watch and they never join in. They never even give themselves the chance to win.

Marketing is a lot like sports. So I'd like to ask you, what type of marketing player are you? Are you giving your all to your marketing efforts? Are you testing new marketing strategies and learning as you go? Or, are you playing it safe or sitting on the bench until you get up the courage, or until you get everything absolutely perfect before you "launch" your marketing efforts? I believe that in business as in sports, those who play to win and give it their all are those who succeed. And those who play it safe or wait for everything to be just right before they make a move, grow slowly if at all. Do you agree? I'd love to hear your perspective.