What Business Owners Can Learn from Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, and Tom Brady
February 2, 2008 by Kristen King
Filed under Business
I posted about this over at Lively Women in regard to women’s health, but I also wanted to put a business spin on things.
There’s something about an attractive, charismatic player that gets non-football fans interested in football, and Tom Brady and the Manning brothers are prime examples. From Family Guy to Saturday Night Live to Oreo commercials, they’ve won my heart. They’ve also given me some ideas for improving my business.
Before I saw Peyton Manning on Saturday Night Live, I didn’t give a hoot about football in general, the Indianapolis Colts in particular (I’m not certain I even knew they existed), or who the quarterback happened to be. But after Peyton Manning hosted SNL last year, he stuck out to me. He became a real person. And now, I see him everywhere. He’s doing more endorsements that you can shake a stick at, and he’s bring his brother, Eli Manning, QB for the New York Giants (who will be playing in the Superbowl tomorrow) along for the ride.
The same thing happened when I saw New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, also in tomorrow’s Superbowl game, on The Simpsons and Family Guy. Instead of just some dude in a helmet and shiny pants, he was a real human being. (Ironic, since he was animated, but you know what I mean.)
So what’s the point? Why am I talking about professional athletes on a women’s business blog? Well, that is the point. I don’t think I could have cared less about Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, or Tom Brady if I tried until they met me at my level and made me fall in love with them as people, not as athletes. They became funny, personable, and memorable.
As a writer, I get a lot of glazed eyes when I try to explain to people what I do for a living because it doesn’t mean anything to them. What these players have done, Peyton Manning in particular, has been to go to the people who may not have been that interested in the first place and make a connection with them. Now, I think of Peyton Manning as more than just a football player, more than just a number. He’s everywhere.
How could your business take a lesson from what they’ve done? Here are some ideas:
- Put a face with the name. If I ran into one of the New England Patriots on the street, I wouldn’t know who he was unless he was wearing his uniform, complete with helmet, because I’ve never seen their faces. Would your customers or potential clients recognize you on the street? Put a photo on your website and let visitors feel like you’re a real human being rather than just a faceless URL.
- Diversify your contact methods. Peyton Manning doesn’t just play football. He also does a darned good job with comedy (his episode of SNL was the best I’ve seen in years), and he is excellent in his commercials. He’s starting to show his range, and he appears in multiple media.
- Create multiple income streams. If the football thing doesn’t work out, Peyton Manning now has a nice and growing portfolio of television appearances and acting jobs that may open the door for him to pursue a different career — and you know it’s padding his bank account as we speak.
- Don’t mistake personality for lack of professionalism. Even though he’s done some funny stuff, and made fun of himself, I doubt anything Peyton Manning has done in television and advertising makes people think less of his football skills. Football is what he does, but it’s not who he is. By showing more sides of his personality, Peyton Manning is increasing interest in his profession.
How can you follow the lead of football players like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Eli Manning? Hosting Saturday Night Live or snagging some sweet product endorsement deals would certainly be great, but think in terms of how you market your products and services. What can you do to connect with people who wouldn’t consider themselves part of your target audience?
Leave a comment with your ideas!
Contents © Copyright 2008 Kristen King
(photo via SXC.hu)
Tags: womens health, woman, health, tom brady, peyton manning, eli manning, new england patriots, new york giants, indianapolis colts, superbowl, NFL, professional football, american football, football, professional athlete, diversifying, multiple income streams, business advice, improving your marketing
Kristen, GREAT post. I especially like the tip on creating multiple streams. This keeps us from locking ourselves into that proverbial box that we cannot get out of. Diversify and branch out – - it will keep us and our product line fresh for the customers.
Thanks, Bridget! Diversification is something I’m working on myself, and Peyton’s a real inspiration to me. ;)
Kristen
You make some good points. I particularly agree with your point about don’t mistake personality for lack of professionalism. We make it a point to tell our clients that in order to be successful they need to have fun.