What Can Bill Parcells Teach Us About Business?

Bill Parcells, legendary NFL football coach, is a compelling figure. Most people I talk to that know anything about him either love him or hate him. There aren’t many fence sitters out there and I have a hunch that a man like Parcells couldn’t care less.

One thing that most everyone agrees on though is that he is a veritable genius as a head football coach. So what do his coaching abilities have to do with business? Well, last fall I was sitting down to watch a Monday Night Football game and Parcells was one of the studio commentators. The Dallas Cowboys were playing someone (I can’t remember who) and one of the commentators remarked that Parcells was going to reveal a list of success principles he has for quarterbacks.

My ears perked up instantly and I paused the program (you gotta love technology). Hurriedly I grabbed a pencil and paper to make ready to jot his list down. I figured that if the principles were good enough for a quarterback, they would be good enough for business owners everywhere.

I wasn’t disappointed. The 11 keys he presented are not only very applicable to business in general, but could basically serve as a blueprint for life as well. Here is the list reprinted in its entirety…I have listed his principle in bold and then a brief explanation in italics:

1) Ignore others’ opinions. No one knows the intimate details of your business like you do. People’s opinion, although well intentioned, is based on incomplete data and limited perspective.

2) Clowns can’t run a huddle. Leaders have to be respected and the class clown never is…people may think he’s funny, but they won’t follow him.

3) Fat QBs can’t avoid the rush. Businesses that are slow or have too much debt cannot respond to change, or opportunity, as well as businesses that are lean and flexible.

4) Know your job cold. You have to know your job better than anyone else.

5) Know your players and opponents. You have to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your employees and your competitors. Leverage the strengths of your employees and attack the weaknesses of your competitors.

6) Be the same guy everyday. A leader that cannot make a decision or flip-flops on his decisions will not be followed for long.

7) Throwing the ball away is sometimes a good play. You’ve got to know when to cut the losers, abandon ideas that aren’t working, and understanding that taking a small loss is better than taking a big loss.

8) Learn to manage the game: clock, clock, clock. You must use the time allotted in a business day to your greatest advantage.

9) Get your team in the endzone. At the end of the day it doesn’t really matter how you scored, but that you scored. Statistics are meaningless if you aren’t putting points on the board.

10) Don’t panic. As a leader, your mood determines the mood of those around you. If you panic, they will panic. If you are confident, they will be confident.

11) Don’t be a celebrity QB (we need battlefield commanders). If you’re going to talk the talk, you better be able to walk the walk. Avoid distractions and stay focused on getting things done.

As I go through the list I can see how each of these 11 principles applies in my own business and life. I hope you can too. Until next time…

“We are the Music Makers…the Dreamers of dreams…”

Do you remember the movie “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?” I’m not talking about the newest one, the remake with Johnny Depp. No, I mean the real one that was made in the early 70’s with Gene Wilder playing Wonka.

That movie was a classic and remains one of my all time favorites. I think it may have to do with the fact that it plays to some very core human emotions of fantasy, hope, and dreams. As a kid, owning a chocolate factory is THE definition of the “American Dream!”

Anyway, a couple of years ago I was at home one Sunday afternoon and watching T.V. with my 3 year-old son. I happened to see on the TV Guide that HBO was replaying “Willy Wonka” that evening. So, after dinner, I sat with my boy and we watched that magical movie again.

But this time, one of the scenes made a tremendous impression on me. It really put an exclamation point on everything we have worked so hard to create here at Intelesure. I realized with a startling suddenness what our true purpose is.

The scene I’m talking about is when Wonka was leading the children through the factory on his tour and they were passing through a hallway that had the lickable wallpaper. Do you remember that part?

He stopped the group and told them that he had invented a wallpaper that had different fruits on it and that each fruit tasted like whatever it was…He said, “Strawberries taste like strawberries…blueberries taste like blueberries…snozzberries taste like snozzberries…”

To which one of the little girls retorted, “Snozzberries? There’s no such thing as snozzberries!” Mr. Wonka reached down, squeezed her face into a pucker and calmly said…

“We are the Music Makers, and we are the Dreamers of dreams…”

That was it. Nothing else, no explanation of any kind. Now, I have seen that movie at least 15 times and I never really paid much attention to what that meant and just wrote it off as more of Wonka’s weirdness. But this time it took on a whole new meaning!

See, that’s really who WE are here at Intelesure! It’s what we do with our clients’ marketing plans. We are helping them to create music…to create dreams! That’s really what marketing is all about and what our true mission is here.

Anyone who is involved in marketing has to understand that their real job is not to simply sell something. You have to make music…to make dreams come true! So, the next time you are putting together a marketing campaign, remember this ode from Willy Wonka to become a music maker and a dreamer of dreams.

Anyway, I am excited to create a resource for you to access and will include a variety of articles on the topic of Direct Marketing…so, stay tuned!

(If you want more information on where this statement comes from, see the “Ode by Arthur O'Shaughnessy (1874)” on Wikipedia.)

Welcome to Intelesure's Blog!

This is the inaugural posting of Intelesure's first blog and I have the privilege of being the one to write it! We are excited to offer this resource to clients and prospective clients alike as a place where you can find up-to-date information on all things Direct Marketing.

I will try to post at least 2-3 times per week with a variety of helpful tips, tricks, and articles that will help you maximize your marketing dollars and increase response rates. If you have any suggestions for article topics or would simply like more information about a certain area of direct marketing, please feel free to leave a comment below and I will try to address it in an upcoming posting.

We look forward to serving you and hope you will check back often!

Tobe Brockner - Chief Marketing Officer
Intelesure, LLC