After decades of wearing a buyer’s cap, the great recession hit me, as it did millions of men and women across every industry, every business, large and small. It was early 2010 when my number was called, sending a 50-something to the street without his supper or a go-forward plan. Given the global situation, this job elimination was not surprising, nor devastating at that moment. While I eventually realized it would take extra time to catch on with a new organization, I never dreamed it would end up becoming the longest struggle of my career.
One day during the PGA Show, things finally clicked. A friend knew a guy who knew an entrepreneur who needed help. For those next two years, I was that help. My journey into the world of the challenger brand began. What is that? A challenger brand is a startup or an organization struggling to find a healthy footing. The brand I joined in 2011 grew and grew over time. Today, it is a very healthy organism.
From that role, I moved to other challenger brands over the next nine years. Some were struggling to hold momentum, and others were new to the golf market. Although every golf brand sets out to do many of the same things — build product, sell product, and stay connected to their customers — each day within the world of the challenger brand takes on a different set of twists and turns. Know that every person serving these challenger brands has learned important, transferable, wide-ranging skills. Each one is worthy of a conversation when a new opening pops up. This In My Opinion post provides three consistent traits learned by those with challenger brand experience.
The challenger brand person has a tough, can-do attitude each morning. They understand that just having a phone conversation with a prospect or an email response some days can be a win. Every conversation and communication matters, as it may lead to a sale. While many suppliers count their daily transactions by the dozens, many challenger brands may count their daily wins on one or two hands. An attitude that puts people in the proper frame of mind means so much as they go to battle with every competitor.
There is no more important value or trait for this category of business than persistence. The no’s will come often. They will not end. The person plugging away for the challenger brand understands that patience and persistence are required at the door, hopefully with refills available throughout the day. Being around a group of people…
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