People Vote With Their Feet - Brands Have Incredible Power in Live - Tell Your Loved Ones You Love Their Scars

Three Things I Learned In SaaS, Sports, Tech and Live Events 1. People vote with their feet. When evaluating a company, supervisor, customer or partner, forget the awards, the posts, the review sites and the trade mag features. Most awards are bought. Most features are in exchange for advertising/favors (we get offered them all the time). Review sites are fake/gamed. Pay attention to the team. Are they moving vertically when leaving? Are they staying? If not, you may have your answer. 2. Brands are partners, not customers, and the numbers from the NFL enforce it. Too often, live events 'sell to' brands as if they're consumers. They're not. They're using the live event to sell their own products - that's what sponsorship really is - and we just got a ten month stress test on live sports as a marketing tool. Just wait until you see the #'s on engagement and growth these brands get from being there. 3. Tell them you love their scars. We have people in our lives, personally and professionally, who carry their mistakes and insecurities like weights. They try to hide them. Make sure to let them know those scars aren't liabilities, they're usually why we appreciate them most. I knew I was with the one when she told me what she loved most about me was something I thought a blemish.