There Are Worse Places To Be

We like to compete as much as the next company.ย  Maybe even a bit more.ย  And yes, we want to win.ย  Not at all costs or really, any costs.ย  We win with sweat equity โ€ฆ resourcefulness, a sense of urgency โ€ฆ team play.ย  So it may come as a surprise, even sound like a contradiction to be excited about coming in second.ย  Even more in question โ€ฆ why would we launch a campaign around being #2?

These are the facts. ย In a field of hundreds of agencies in Georgia, Trevelino/Keller took second place in overall rankings.ย  Second place in 9 industry segments or second, on average in 11 industries โ€” Agriculture, Beauty & Fashion, Entertainment,ย  Environment, Finance, Food & Beverage, Healthcare, Home, Professional Services, Sports and Technology,ย  That national industry ranking isnโ€™t based on superficial statistics like number of staff or friend and family reviews; itโ€™s based on revenue generated from countless hours worked serving clients.

According to Chengwei Liu, a professor of strategy and behavioral science at Warwick Business School, โ€œthose who win โ€ฆ often have inferior skills.โ€œย  His research revealed that โ€œthe players who finished top were actually about five percentage points less skilled.โ€ย  Further, he says, โ€œwhether in the workplace, a sports tournament, or other competitions, finishing in second place could make you the real winner in the long run.โ€

We couldnโ€™t agree more.ย  One of the things we have seen in business consistently over the years โ€“ businesses at the very top find it difficult to sustain energy, enthusiasm and their fight.ย  Weโ€™re not saying thatโ€™s applicable to our situation.ย  However, we are saying our spirit, our conviction, our fight is unwavering.ย  And while there are worse places to be than #2, we are here to stake that claim and then some.