Must Be Present to Win

If all you had to do to win an iPad 2 was fill out a five question survey and be present at the time of the drawing, would you do it?

Last week while attending the Legal Marketing Association’s annual conference in Orlando, Florida, my good friend and fellow legal marketing colleague, Judith Gordon, and I were walking around the exhibition hall, meeting with various vendors. We were specifically lured by one, who offered us the chance to win an iPad 2. We jumped at the opportunity and both completed the survey. As we walked away from the booth, I entered a calendar reminder in my phone to ensure I wouldn’t miss the drawing.

Two days later and at the drawing’s scheduled time, I arrived at the vendor’s booth, along with 200 other professionals. The tension and suspense was palpable; who would win the iPad 2?

A name was drawn and called, Carolyn Smith. I scanned the crowd to see if Carolyn was present; she wasn’t. A second name was drawn, Jerry Hansen. Again, not present. A third name was called out, Judith Gordon. A burst of cheer rang out from the crowd as many of us knew her. But, where was she? I franticly reached for my cell phone in hopes of getting to her in time to redeem her prize. Unfortunately for Judith, she wasn’t present to win.

As professionals, how many of us have had similar experiences? We have taken the necessary steps — educational pursuits, experience at top-rated organizations, introductions to and networking with the “right” people — in order to be successful, yet fail at some aspect of the follow through. Perhaps we are not even aware of the missed opportunities!

Being present is as much about showing up physically as it is mentally. I witness this all the time while coaching professionals. We’ll meet, develop a strategy, draft a marketing plan, include all the components to ensure success, and get 90 percent through the execution. At the point when we are about to realize the fruits from our labors, the professional gets discouraged with the process and ceases to follow the plan. The lack of mental awareness leads to a lack in execution.

That day in Orlando, both Judith and I realized that preparation isn’t enough. We must make ourselves available — present — both mentally and physically in order to be successful.

For the brand-conscience professional, being “present to win” means:

• Showing up (meetings, lunches, new business pitches) early; this allows you to not only be physically present to win, but also mentally
• Prepared with background information and competitive intelligence on the individuals and/or companies with whom you will meet
• Keeping commitments, even if you have a reasonable excuse to get out of them

To quote Woody Allen, “Eighty percent of success is showing up!”

How has being present influenced your brand?

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