What does is take for us to "win in the mountains"?

Lance Armstrong will go down in history as being one of the most dominant athletes of all-time. The cyclist has not only made his mark through his numerous Tour de France victories but has also created a following by his triumphant battle with cancer.

Hundreds of individuals have studied Lance's success in the Tour de France and developed theories of why he has been so successful. The one thing that is understood, by all who study Lance, is that he wins the races in the mountains!

The Tour de France offers a variety of terrains but the most excruciating part of the race is when the riders reach the mountain stages. Already beginning to fatigue from the earlier stages, the riders begin their steep accent to the top of the mountains. As many of the riders begin to slow, there is one rider that begins to push even harder! Lance Armstrong has built a reputation around his ability to separate himself from the competition as he moves into the mountains.

When asking Lance why he is so dominant in the mountains Lance says that he focuses on the last 20% of the incline. He said that he will push harder in the last 20% of the mountain crest than any other section of the Tour de France!

When asked why the last 20% is so important, Lance communicated that it is vital to push harder because it allows him to top the crest with a great deal of momentum! That momentum allows him to reach incredible speeds on the decent. It is this mentality that allows Lance to generate drastic leads in the mountain stages.

Ok...great story Jason...but where does this fit into the world of business and sales?


To answer that, I would say that I believe that we have made our way into the mountains ourselves. With the economy the way it is, and has been, we have been tempted to slow down. We can get caught up in a pack of people that have the mentality "I just hope I can stay alive long enough for this economy to change".


My Challenge:

Do what it takes to pick up speed now, so we have momentum built up when everything does take a turn! When the economy begins to improve, the "Lances" of the business world will see themselves leaving the pack behind.

The other bonus is that this tough time will begin to eliminate the little "ankle-biters" that move in and out of the industry!


2 Ways to Pick Up Speed in The Monutains:


1. Focus On Learning

- CDs
- Podcasts
- Books
- Seminars
- Workshops
- Extended education
- etc.

2. Reevaluate Our Business Model

- We will not reach success today by doing what worked yesterday!
- Identify what it will take for us to stay ahead of the curve!
- Read "Built to Last" - Jim Collins