Grasping ahold of the Intangible

There are so many ways I could answer the question posed in the title of this post. And whatever my answer, I accept many may quibble, depending on their perspective, school of thought or particular experience. In my experience, however, effective marketing boils down to one thing: Mastering the Intangibles.
And nothing defines Mastering the Intangibles better than the story of the Detroit Pistons “Bad Boy” era and the ultimate bad boy, Dennis Rodman.
I grew up in suburban Detroit during the late ‘80s, in what was known as the “Bad Boy” era of Detroit’s pro basketball team, the Pistons. At the time, the NBA was dominated by the back-and-forth battles between the hard-working “blue collar” Larry “Bird” Bird helmed Boston Celtics and his cohorts Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Dennis Johnson in the Eastern Conference, and the flashy “Showtime” Los Angeles Lakers with leading man Ervin “Magic” Johnson and a supporting cast of James Worthy, Byron Scott and perennial hall of famer Kareem Abdul Jabar. At the same time, the burgeoning talent of a unique shooting guard – fresh off a college national basketball champion win with the University of North Carolina Tarheels – was quickly making a name for himself in the form of one Michael Jordan.

Superstars Rule

Star-power had always been a crucial component of the NBA’s luster and mystique, but the post-free agency, media saturated world of the ‘80s birthed the “Superstar.” And the Superstar concept was quickly coming into its own as the mechanism driving the league’s image, generating revenue and winning championships. This climate made players like Bird, Magic and Jordan not only hot commodities, but imperative to winning.
The Bad Boys, however, could claim no such superstar. Back-court mates, point guard Isaiah Thomas (an undersized shooting guard listed at 6’ tall but probably closer to 5’10” playing point guard) and shooting guard Joe Dumars (a seemingly unremarkable player with an better than average 3-point shot), are both hall of famers (and Isaiah is generally considered to be one of the best 50 players in the history of the league). But neither would be mentioned in the same breath as the afore mentioned Superstars Bird, Magic and Jordan.

Meet the Badboys

Yet – backed up by the widely hated and reputedly “dirty player” Bill Laimbeer, the “instant offense” off the bench from Vinnie “The Microwave” Johnson and the unconventional play of Dennis “The Worm” Rodman – the Bad Boy Pistons managed to climb over in both the Celtics and the Lakers, while keeping pesky Michael Jordan at bay, to win back-to-back NBA championship titles. No small feat amid the NBA’s Superstar dominated environs.

The Intangibles

So, how did they do it? They certainly weren’t faster or stronger or more skilled than their opponents. Instead, they had to play smarter and be tougher than the rest of the fray, always striving to leverage any and every advantage at their disposal. In short, they had to master the game’s “intangibles,” putting forth the extra effort to achieve their goals, despite their shortcomings. The Bad Boys relied on hustle plays and hustle players, lock-down defense, and a vicious, scraping and clawing pursuit of victory. Theirs was an unorthodox style that flaunted the games “unwritten” (and sometimes written) rules every time they stepped on the court.
And no one personified this persona more than recent hall of fame inductee Dennis “The Worn” Rodman (and keep in in mind this is the pre-tattooed, dyed hair, and super-ripped cartoon character Rodman). Undersized as a power forward at somewhere between 6’5” and 6’6” tall, Rodman managed to lead the league in rebounds and blocks, and win multiple “Defensive Player of the Year” awards. Moreover, Rodman bested many bigger, stronger, more skilled and faster players by out hustling, out jumping, out smarting and generally out playing them (that includes a laundry list of hall of famers). Dennis was master of the “intangibles.”

• Jumping higher for a rebound than other taller, stronger players
• Being first to dive on the floor after a loose ball
• Bounding over the scorer’s table and into the third row of the stands to keep the  ball in play
• Tying up players driving to the basket and forcing jump balls
• Corralling 50-50 balls (loose balls that either team has an equal chance to grab)
• Getting inside the heads of his rivals, time and time again out-witting them in a mental game of chess

The Intangibles and Marketing Your Small Business

So what, you ask, does all of this have to do with marketing or small business? A fair question to be sure, especially if you’re not a fan of basketball or the late ‘80s Bad Boy Detroit Pistons (two things I will go on record as being a “super-fan” of).
In short: Effective, successful marketing, especially in the small business realm is all about the “intangibles.”
Just like Dennis “The Worm” Rodman and the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons, effective marketing wins the “battle of the intangibles” by…

• Out hustling other players in setting concrete business goals you intend to achieve with your marketing efforts
• Intercepting passes and grabbing steals in crafting a marketing plan to achieve your goals
• Diving on the floor and always being the first to 50-50 balls through identifying and employing marketing tactics that bring your plan to life
• Acknowledging and undertaking the endless hard work and incalculable disciple required to always perform, night in and night out at the highest level regardless of your shortcomings via sticking to your plan and keep up with your tactics, day in and day out, week after week, year to year until you achieve your goals. (and then starting over with a new set of business goals to take you to the next level)

Making Your Own Luck

Effective marketing isn’t an event. It doesn’t happen because of some fated stroke of “good luck.” Michael Jordan and his heir apparent Kobe Bryant didn’t become multi-title NBA champions based solely on natural talent and physical gifts, of which the both have in spades, alone. And luck has nothing to do with it either. Those players, just like the Bad Boys, made their own luck and became great champions because of their drive, effort, disciple and the never-ending pursuit of winning the “battle of the intangibles.”
Dennis “The Worm” Rodman had a mere fraction of the talent and physical gifts bestowed upon Jordan and Bryant. But no player in the history of the NBA made more of his own luck or won the “battle of the intangibles” to a greater extent than Rodman.
If you were the “Dennis Rodman of Marketing,” winning the “battle of the intangibles” might look something like this:

• Networking through professional, industry related and local community organizations – glad handing all comers and passing off biz cards like a proud papa spewing out “it’s a boy” cigars
• Collecting, organizing and maintaining (a database of) customer information
• Creating a follow up calendar and staying in touch with customers, via email, phone calls, physical letters and other print media
• Establishing an online presence with a business website and social media pages, and regularly engaging with customers through these platforms
• Creating, curating and sharing valuable content, via any and all of the channels described above, with your customers
• Realizing customers count, putting them first, and acknowledging it’s a privilege (not an entitlement) to have their business
• And so much more…mastering the intangibles is a never ending pursuit

When you add it all up, marketing is making your own luck by staying on top of all the little things, and getting into the habit of promoting your business everyday with countless acts (big and small), until it becomes second nature.
Marketing is grasping ahold and running with the “intangibles” to make your business better. (Just like Dennis “The Worm” Rodman and the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons)

Need Help With the Intangibles?

Need help with your small business marketing efforts? Marketing Expertise can help you master the intangibles and build your business into a Superstar performer.
Let’s talk — Ryan Anys — 310.466.7893 | ryananys@designexpertise.net