The Automotive Industry VS The NFL – The Team behind the Vision
The Automotive Industry and the NFL have much more in common than just sponsorships. Both industries are founded on the strongest base of all; teamwork. The NADA convention is home to 28,000 dealers, 700 vendors and countless automotive enthusiasts, who meet, and create a vision which now as a whole can be aimed at a specific target audience. Once this dynamic successfully reaches its targeted audience, it then no longer has limits and can progress thoroughly along with society. As Bill Fox, NADA Chairman, once stated, “When we pull in the same direction, we accomplish more together than when we try to do it alone.”
The NFL Industry does not fall far behind. David Metter, president of AutoHook powered by Urban Science and automotive guru highlights when Former NFL quarterback, Peyton Manning made an appearance at the NADA 2016 Las Vegas convention. Manning proved he is not only qualified as an excellent athlete, but is also capable of distinguishing the difference between a business-to-business connection and a ‘human-to-human’ connection, and how it translates into a profitable success across an industry.
The front runners in the Auto Industry understand that their success is not solely because of their efforts. To keep up with societies fast paced evolving consumer, leading players are backed up with an entire team of strong departments excelling together, partnerships, and great manufactures who have access to the latest technologies. As Metter reveals, “Real success is when a single great idea aligns with the individuals capable of making it a reality.”
David Metter enlists that leadership, teamwork, adaptability and endurance are the ‘four essential elements of success’ as they detail precisely how the Automotive Industry and the NFL have more in common than meets the eye.
Leadership: As an athlete and as salesman you both run the risk of failure and success. It is inevitable to come across challenges and not take risks. Leaders fall and get back up again, they embrace great competition and thrive off it. A Leader can take on any problem and find a resolution with ease. Leaders have a constant drive to take an idea and expand on it, in the most fast and efficient way possible. Metter quotes when Manning said, “Strong Leaders must have the audacity to believe there is something more out there to reach for.”, influencing others to treat fears and obstacles as simple challenges, not let them slow you down, and simply not allow fear to ‘paralyze your dream’. As an NFL quarterback, Manning must lead by example, ultimately uniting his team to perform and deliver as one, heightening everyone’s power.
Teamwork: Teamwork means, you are not an individual but part of a whole. Rather than allow circumstances get in your way, you must let your work drive you and lead you, therefore cultivating the performance of those around you. No leader is above his team, without group efforts, you would not be what or where you are today. Honesty is the key factor to teamwork, as Metter said, “When a group of individuals make the effort to work ‘cohesively together and trust one another, magical things happen. And this applies both on a football field and out on a sales floor showroom.”
Adaptability: Change is key in society. As mentioned previously, we are currently a part of a fast-moving consumer market. The client is ever changing and evolving. In football like in the Auto Industry, team members retire, and new members are signed on, coaches change, but the rules of the game remain the same. As a leader, you must first have an awareness of your strengths and weaknesses. Metter quoted Manning noting, “Being keenly aware of yourself, your team, and your competitive landscape is vital for any strong leader. When you’re taking inventory, first focus on identifying the real strengths in your team. Where are your weaknesses? Now flip that to your competition and ask them the same questions.” Consistency isn’t always key. No one has ever truly advanced in either the NFL or the Automotive Industry by doing things the same way forever. Change should be embraced and not feared, allowing you to adapt and become keenly aware of what you as an individual can bring to the table.
Endurance: The Auto Industry, led by the NADA conference, otherwise known as the ‘National Automobile Dealer Association, has evolved along with today’s retail automotive industry. Throughout the automotive industries history, dealerships and manufacturers have withstood wars, recessions, foreclosures, and bankruptcies. The unpredictability of financial opportunity changes month to month in these industries. “Endurance is something that runs deep in the veins of all who know and love the car business”, says David Metter, in his article titled “The Four Parallels of the Auto Industry and the NFL”. Bill Fox, chairman of the NADA convention, stated at last year’s 2016 convention in Las Vegas, Nevada how “the result is that we have not only survived, but we have prospered.”
Metter closes his analysis on The Automotive industry and the NFL praising Peyton Manning’s presence at the 2016 NADA convention. He felt he did more than just captivate an audience, “He connected two completely different billion-dollar industries in a way no one has ever recognized before – which is what being a game changer is all about.”
Click link below to continue reading “The Four Parallels of the Auto Industry and the NFL”.
Works Cited
https://www.drivingsales.com/david-metter-15012/blog/4-parallels-of-the-auto-industry-and-the-nfl
http://www.dealermarketing.com/chairman-bill-fox-recaps-year-positive-changes-nada-behalf-dealers/
