Tim Tebow and the “It” Factor

(This is the companion post to the Business Journal column about what can be learned in sales by studying Tim Tebow)

Company leaders, sales managers, marketers, and salespeople all secretly (some overtly) pine for that singular, magical customer offering that possesses the “It” factor.  Whether it’s a new, cool, and trendy product, or a service that strikes the genuine chord with its target audience, we seek that special something that sets pulses racing.

As the Business Journal column stated, there are far more talented quarterbacks than Tim Tebow, however none of them creates the marketplace buzz that the Mile High Messiah does.  If it’s proof you seek, check out this article detailing the scientific proof behind Tebow’s meteoric rise to relevance and popularity.  Turns out that football’s Bieber is big business.

Here are a few additional characteristics that Tim brings to the table – lessons that should be heeded when aiming for big sales performance.  Tebow is:

Transcendent.  Boundless, unparalleled, unique.  While others are status quo, Tebow smashes convention (an option offense in the pros?), mocks orthodoxy, and revels in the unexpected – all excellent attributes for a winning brand.  All of this makes him appealing.  He may not be bigger than the game, however …  he’s irresistible, entrancing.  Sometimes, what we believe is true is challenged by what is real – happening right before our eyes.  And, after he graduated from the University of Florida (how refreshing), the NCAA banned his practice of bearing bible verses within his eye black.  Had anyone at the NCAA tried to do that before he graduated – given his enormous popularity – they surely would have been hunted down and … well, you get the idea.  Tebow’s legend was already bigger than college sports’ governing body.

Humble.  Home-schooled as a youngster, Tim was taught that humility was a virtue; boasting forbidden.  He was only allowed to discuss his athletic feats if asked.  That’s why we never hear him discuss his two college national championships, and numerous awards – including the Maxwell, Sullivan, Davey O’Brien, and Heisman Trophy – the first sophomore ever to win – SEC Offensive Player of the Year, and First Team All-America.   His 170.8 career pass efficiency rating is the best in SEC history.  He became the first collegiate player to pass – and rush – for 20 touchdowns in the same season.  In his last college game, he set the Sugar Bowl record for total offense with 533 all-purpose yards.  And yet he never makes a peep about his detractors … accept when trying to set the record straight (see Jake Plummer’s comments on the web).  Tim’s not trying to convert us.  He is who he is.  Period.  Integrity is smart business.

Resilient.  Even after Tim was promoted to starting QB, he still felt “like an outsider in his own home,” to quote Sports Illustrated.  Bronco teammates took issue with the way he was belting out snap counts with unbridled conviction in practice.  Taking over the Broncos leadership reins was a nerve-racking situation, one that took awhile getting used to.  Building relationships and gaining respect, especially as the new, unproven starting quarterback, was something that the team’s veterans expected Tebow to earn – it wasn’t going to be handed to him.  The former Heisman Trophy winner spent extra time before and after practice working on his game, important because coaches didn’t have much time to work with him in the off-season (or pre-season) due to the NFL’s prolonged lockout.

Some final thoughts on Tim Tebow, intended to provoke thought regarding your 2012 sales initiatives:

• Football has always been a religion to many, but in Denver it reaches a feverish pitch experienced in only a few other markets.  These knowledgeable fans are totally smitten with “Mr. It Factor,” and that’s enough to prove what sells, and what does not.

• During the mid-season winning streak, it was apparent that Broncos opponents were intimidated by the “Tebows” late game magic.  The competition often beat itself deep into the fourth quarter, often gasping for air, while Tim – supremely conditioned – was still motoring like the national anthem had just been played.  That can be demoralizing.  A legend in the making who’s on an absolute mission can be intimidating.

• God can be good business, proven by select minor league baseball teams experiencing their highest attendance during “Faith Nights.”  Know your customers, and give them what they want.  Remember, to a degree, they are your compass.

In a nation where we bitch and moan about the absence of genuine role models for young males – particularly in sports – it’s amazing that Tim Tebow takes as much flak as he does.  What, people would rather have Tiger Woods, Pacman Jones, Plaxico Burris, Michael Vick, Ben Roethlisberger, and John Rocker?
Personally, regardless of his gridiron performance – whether or not the Broncos win their playoff game this Sunday vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers – I’m grateful for this kid.  He’s what’s right about America, provides hope, and simply makes me feel good to know that a young man like that can still exist in today’s “Look At Me” sports environment.

Oh yeah, and Tim reminds us that you don’t always have to be the best … to sell the most.