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Embracing Plaid

Take a lesson from golf and dare to be different.

7/31/2017 | Bill Petrie, Petrie's Perspective

Growing up in the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area and as a fan of golf, I looked forward to every May when the PGA Tour would come to the area for two back-to-back stops: the Byron Nelson Classic played in Dallas and The Colonial Invitational played in Fort Worth. The “Nelson” was easily the sexier of the two with top tier players hosted by Byron Nelson, a newer, stadium-style golf course, and a seemingly endless flow of margaritas in the “Party Pavilion.”

By contrast, the Colonial seemed like the Nelson’s oddball cousin. Hosted by the admittedly crusty Ben Hogan, the golf course is a throwback to a bygone era. The cramped layout was built in 1935 and is wedged between Texas Christian University (TCU) and a railroad switching station just southwest of downtown Fort Worth.

Perhaps the biggest difference between the two tournaments is how the winner is rewarded. At the Nelson, the champion is awarded with a gorgeous silver trophy with “Lord Byron” at the top. The victor of the Colonial receives what might be the most garish jacket on the planet.

Many people groan when they see the gaudy jacket. To me, that plaid coat represents the bold willingness to be different in the homogenous world of golf. If you are a fan of golf, the Colonial jacket is instantly recognizable. Do you know what the winner of the Valero Texas Open receives for his victory? Neither do I.

As a promotional products salesperson, are you bold enough to be plaid? Being plaid is the willingness to do things that set you apart from others and staying true to what you believe – no matter what others think or say. The most successful people I know exude plaid in everything they do. They are the ones that continually think of new ways to solve client issues and foster the longest relationships.

Next time you meet with a client, make sure you are embracing your plaid. Give yourself the freedom and confidence to do things differently than they’ve been done. While I can’t guarantee you’ll receive the equivalent of the $1.2M winner’s check like Kevin Kisner did at the 2017 Colonial, I can assure that you will find more success when you radiate plaid to your clients. 

 Bill is president of PromoCorner, the leading digital marketing service provider to the promotional products industry, and has over 17 years working in executive leadership positions at leading promotional products distributorships. In 2014, he launched brandivate – the first executive outsourcing company solely focused on helping small and medium sized-promotional products enterprises responsibly grow their business. A featured speaker at numerous industry events, a serial creator of content marketing, president of the Promotional Products Association of the Mid-South (PPAMS), and PromoKitchen chef, Bill has extensive experience coaching sales teams, creating successful marketing campaigns, developing operational policies and procedures, creating and developing winning RFP responses, and presenting winning promotional products solutions to Fortune 500 clients. He can be reached at bill@PromoCorner.com.

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