by Kristin Swartzlander | Jul 10, 2014 | Media and Public Relations, Mindset, Motorsports Marketing for Tracks, Teams and Businesses, Racing Sponsorship
We established last week in that one reason people accuse others of cheating is because they don’t like to lose. And they really don’t like to lose big. And for some reason, people really, really don’t want to accept that they lost to someone else’s natural advantage. They don’t want to think that someone can be that much smarter than them, in that much better shape than them, or be that much better at driving than them. They love to blame factors that are out of their control, right? The most common two factors: money and cheating. A lot of people like to think that at a base level, everyone is the same. Everyone has the same potential. We get frustrated when we see people in great shape, but deep down we think that we have the same potential. So it’s not cheating. (Insert motivational quote here.) But we don’t all have the same potential in every aspect of our lives. The truth is that most people who are accused of cheating aren’t doing anything illegal. Many of them are ‘cheating’ legally by using an unfair advantage. Illegal cheating is breaking the rules. It’s doing something that you’re not allowed to be doing. An unfair advantage is something that you’re competitors don’t have and can’t easily copy. Because they’re not you. Insider trading is illegal. Using the connections that you have or network you’ve built to get inside information about engine tuning, shock adjustments and a million other things is not illegal – it’s an unfair advantage. Buying components that are outside of the rules is cheating. Spending money...
by Kristin Swartzlander | Jun 27, 2014 | Mindset, Thoughts and Rants
Cheating: it’s a topic that comes up a lot in certain divisions and series of racing. In our area, there’s a constant dialogue about cheating and tech inspections in the modified and late model divisions. With the sprint cars? Not so much. That’s why I get excited when I hear cheating rumors in that division. Everybody reacts differently to being accused of cheating. Some people get mad. Others get self-righteous, hurt or embarrassed. Me? Not so much. No. When my team gets accused of cheating, it’s like Christmas morning. And not just a regular Christmas morning. It’s the Christmas morning when you unwrap a Nintendo and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sleeping bag and you know you’re going to spend all day sitting in that sleeping bag playing Ice Hockey with your brother until you can’t move your thumbs (or clean your room, thank you very much.) It’s that good. Why? If someone thinks you’re cheating at something, you must be doing something good. Something really good. You must be performing so well, in fact, that it’s inconceivable that you’re following the same rules as everyone else. On an average night, teams don’t get accused of cheating. You only get accused of cheating if you’re doing something more than just winning. You must be dominating. Maybe you’re winning the majority of your races. Maybe you won from the back of the pack. Maybe you won by a six-second margin. Whatever it is, you’re performance is so above average that your competitors can’t explain it. See, people don’t like to lose. That’s a given. But they can accept being...
by Kristin Swartzlander | Jun 19, 2014 | Media and Public Relations, Mindset, Motorsports Marketing for Tracks, Teams and Businesses
How many times have you had a version of this conversation: Person: Where do you start tonight? You: Seventh Person: Well, who starts on the pole? You: Little Jimmy. Person: Oh, of course. [Throws hands up in the air.] Little Jimmy always starts on the pole. Now, in reality? Little Jimmy has just as much of a chance of pulling a one pill as every other driver. Maybe he does start there more than other people. Or, maybe it just seems that way because you’re focused on what Little Jimmy gets that you don’t. In reality, Little Jimmy getting the pole so often probably can be chalked up to a combination of luck and showing up. Often. But, we see what we’re looking for. Have you ever bought a new-to-you car? I did pretty recently. I decided ahead of time that I wanted a certain car – all wheel drive, low profile in black (the only color vehicles come in, right?) – and started shopping around for it. Pretty soon, I was seeing them everywhere. My car at the stoplight. My car in the television ad. Oh look at the ice cream cone the guy driving my car has! (Sometimes I’m looking for ice cream and cars, what can I say.) I was seeing what I was looking for. Expectations are a heck of a thing. If we think we’re going to get screwed, in one way or another we probably will. Not necessarily more than usual, but we’ll find an instance to plug right into that expectation. We love to be right. What’s my point? If we see what...
by Kristin Swartzlander | Jun 13, 2014 | Mindset, Thoughts and Rants
I thought I’d do something a little bit different this week and record an audio version of the blog post. This week, we’re talking about dream shame – when the size of your dreams doesn’t match up with what others expect. In racing, we talk about pursuing our dreams with others often. And we usually get unsolicited opinions on what we should and shouldn’t pursue. Click on the video below if you’d like my unsolicited advice on the size of your dreams and how to ignore the well-meaning advice. As always, I’d love it if you’d leave a comment telling me if you liked this different format and if you’d prefer to receive more information this way. You can also tell me what else you’d like to see or hear from me, now or in the future. With love,...
by Kristin Swartzlander | May 30, 2014 | Media and Public Relations, Mindset, Motorsports Marketing for Tracks, Teams and Businesses
Last weekend, I traveled out to Fremont Speedway for the All Star Circuit of Champions double header. I was pleasantly surprised by a lot of what I experienced in my first visit to the place they’ve dubbed “The Track Where Action Was Built.” If you read my recent article on DirtClassic.com, you know that I subscribe to the belief that showing up is essential for success. And, going beyond expectations even when you don’t have to is what creates a tribe for your team or event. I saw a lot of that at Fremont this weekend, and so I called Promoter Rich Farmer to talk to him about their philosophy on delivering a great experience to fans, drivers and marketing partners. I’m sharing a little bit of that conversation today in hopes that we can apply some of these philosophies to our interactions with our customers, whether they’re re-tweeting your updates, buying your t-shirts or sitting in your grandstands. For the most part, attitude has a trickle down effect. From the front gate to the food lines, I ran into positive attitudes and refreshing experiences. One of Farmer’s philosophies is that everyone who walks through the gate is a customer, and I could tell by the way I was treated by everyone I talked to. “Our staff understands that whether you’re in the pits or the grandstands, you bought a ticket to get in to Fremont Speedway and therefore, you are a customer,” Farmer said. “And you should be treated as such.” One of the first things that stood out to me was the price of pit passes – no...
by Kristin Swartzlander | May 16, 2014 | Mindset, Thoughts and Rants
Turning pro is an interesting concept. It seems straightforward at first, right? A pro football player is someone who plays football for a living. Getting drafted and entering the big leagues is considered ‘turning pro’. A professional driver is someone who pays their bills and feeds their family through racing, whether that’s from t-shirt sales or their cut of the winnings. Going pro might also be thought of as a way of carrying oneself. “That Johnny…he’s a real pro.” They dress and act professionally, have a certain type of appearance and lifestyle. They have a professional attitude; they’re careful to say and do the right things. But there’s a third way to go pro, and it has little to do with how much money you make or the label on your t-shirt. It’s a mindset. It’s a decision that everyone who wants to achieve something great has to make. Simply put, a pro is the opposite of an amateur. A pro is someone who consistently pursues success at a given level. Most of us have a job to do and a dream to pursue. The difference between those who succeed and those who don’t is often a choice: whether they show up as a pro or as an amateur. I read a book a few years ago called The War of Art by Stephen Pressfield. In it, Pressfield defines the concept of turning pro – he’s since written a whole book on it. There are complexities to his definition, but to me, turning pro means making the decision to honor your dream by showing up and honoring your dream....
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