Marketing Tim Tebow Style!

Have you heard of Tim Tebow? If you are in the US, and pay attention to sports, you may have. I like sports and share some things about it from time to time (like here and here). I think there are a lot of lessons sports can provide us in marketing, business, and life.

Tim Tebow is a second year player in the NFL. In his first year in the league, before taking any snaps or having his first professional debut his jersey was the best-selling jersey in the league and currently surging.

He is a winner.

He was the first sophomore college player to win the Heisman Trophy (essentially the MVP of college football). His team won two national championships under his 4 years of leadership.

Yet he confounds most NFL sports analysts.

Marketing Tim Tebow Style!

He is not an accurate thrower. He resists ‘staying in the pocket’, important for most quarterbacks in the Pros, as the NFL favors those who can pass the ball well. He doesn’t have good footwork they say, yet he has the 3rd most rushing of any other quarterback so far this year. Some say he shouldn’t be winning.

Yet he does win. He and his teammates have become the most respected and feared in the league in the last few minutes. In fact, the Denver Broncos (the team Tim Tebow plays for) have won 6 of the 7 games Tim Tebow has started, and of those 6, 4 were won in last 3 minutes of the game, and 4 of those wins were on the road.

He took over the team when it was in last place with 1 win and 4 losses, and now are tied for first place with 4 games to go, having won 5 road games in a row, the first time since the team did it with now boss John Elway at quarterback in 1998 (the year of their last championship, and Elway’s final year). More stats here.

What can marketers learn from this? A LOT.

Tim Tebow is a controversial figure. He honors his God by praying before and at various points throughout a game, and “Tebowing” as it’s called has been added to the English dictionary (well, maybe…). There’s even a website dedicated to Tebowing around the world.

Know What You Believe

Tim Tebow style marketing means you know what you believe, and live that. In Tim’s case he gets a lot of flak for giving Jesus Christ glory and credit in his interviews. It appears he doesn’t care much what people think. Born into a missionary family, based on his college career it seems he’s been this way much of his adult life.

What do you believe in? What would happen if you were that bold? You’d be marketing Tim Tebow style!

Understand Your Talents and Limitations

“It wasn’t pretty, but fortunately we got the job done, and got the win.” Tim knows that he gives NFL sports analysts a lot of fodder to critique his style of play, mechanics, and etc. He doesn’t deny that. He seems to openly acknowledge his game needs work. Nobody likes to acknowledge limitations or weaknesses they have, let alone talk about it.

What part of your “game” are you not so good at? (Tweet Me) Are you open about it with your colleagues, coworkers, and peers…to get better? If so you’d be marketing Tim Tebow style!

Work Hard

Understanding your weaknesses, doesn’t mean you just accept it. Apparently neither does Tim. His coaches have said that Tim has one of the hardest working young players they’ve seen. Evidence of this is the fact that they’ve changed their game plan to cater to his strengths instead of game plans that demonstrate his weaknesses.

Surround Yourself with Skilled Position Players

A professional on any level understands that his or her success isn’t a solo act. Position players are key to victory. Tim understands this and regularly praises his teammates for “making me look better than I really am.” 

As an online marketer you cannot do it all. If you are just getting started, it may be a decent hosting service or an email marketing service to start. When you are further along adding a virtual assistant or other key position players will free you up to “look better than you really are.” In which case you’d be marketing Tim Tebow style!

Remain Coachable

Based on the NFL analysts’ comments from the beginning, it’s pretty clear that Tim Tebow’s game needs a decent amount of work to be positioned for long-term success in the NFL. Despite of his success (instant millionaire out of college) he knows it, has a desire to get better, is working hard, and based on his comments, knows his coaches can help him get there.

You may or may not have a professional coach, but it’s important to have someone who understands what you are attempting to do to act as a coach. It could be a spouse, parent, or someone who is a leader in your industry. And, as you may have guessed, being coachable means you’d be marketing Tim Tebow style!

Lead by Example

See “Work Hard” section above. Turns out his teammates have responded well to his effort, and respect his leadership. In part because they see him in practice and off the field, in part because they believe he gives them a great chance to win. This creates a rallying effect with his teammates, and it is fun to watch. Here’s a comment.

“He’s the comeback kid,” said Broncos wide receiver Eric Decker. “That’s what we call him. He brings this attitude about him that he’s so positive and always optimistic. That does rub off on guys. To be able to consecutively do this on the road, at home and in the fourth quarter is great. If we have a chance to win, we’re going to win.”

Leaders leading by example in the office and in their market, not asking others to do things they aren’t willing to do themselves, can experience this rallying effect as well, and are marketing Tim Tebow style!

Remain Humble

I watched the post-game interview after a thrilling victory by Tim Tebow and the Broncos earlier this season. Tim was asked questions, and had every opportunity to accept credit and glory for his play, but he went the high road, and commented on how his teammates made all the difference and gave Glory to God for the chance to play a game he loves.

Use Success to Communicate a Life Changing Message (Tweet Me)

An interesting part of that post-game interview was when Tim clarified that as much as he loves the game, football is not what defines him. As wonderful as that win was, that he’s more concerned for the hospital he’s building in the Philippines and the lives it has the potential to impact. That football provides a platform for him to give glory to God, and be an example to an up and coming generation.

Not everyone agrees with Tim’s message, but as long as he’s winning he will have a platform to share his message.

What’s clear? Tim knows his purpose, and it lies outside the lines of the playing field. What is your purpose off the playing field? Knowing it, and moving toward it means you’re marketing Tim Tebow style!

What Will Tim Tebow Marketing Lead To?

Some say Tim Tebow may be paving the way for future quarterbacks whose style doesn’t translate well from college to the NFL. While they are currently 7-5, and have had an amazing run, it’s too early to tell if this will change the game for future quarterbacks.

What we do know is Tim’s faith and belief in his teammates and coaches has led to victories in a year that looked to be a “throw away” season after the first 5 (1-4) games. His outlook and humility is refreshing in a sports culture that has many celebrating their own success.

For Bronco fans and the NFL this may go down as the year of Tim Tebow.

What does it mean for you? While marketing Tim Tebow style is somewhat tongue in cheek, make no mistake the lessons for marketers like you and me are numerous. As you know what you believe, your talents and limitations, work hard, surround yourself with great teammates, lead by example and remain humble, you too will be in a position to communicate a life changing message…your purpose. On purpose. What better marketing is there than that?