Scott Christiansen, CEO and Founder of ROOT3 Growth Marketing, has spent more than 20 years uncovering marketing insights and delivering growth strategies for clients, and almost twice that many years walking to starting lines and waiting for endurance races to begin.
ROOT3 launched a content series, 26.2 Training Tips for Growing your Business, in conjunction with its first year as a Bank of America Chicago Marathon associate sponsor. Scott and team released one tip per week leading up to the marathon and as the race day approaches, he shares his thoughts on the most frequently asked question: What’s the point 2?
The point 2 is not a mistake, it is actually one of the most important messages that connect running a business to running across a finish line. The point 2 is the false finish line.
When you tell someone you’re running a marathon, the common response is, “Wow…26 miles!” But as every marathon finisher will tell you, the marathon is not 26 miles it is 26 point 2. And that point two matters – especially to a pair of legs that have been running for hours. That point 2 is the final stretch to the finish line – it is where you want to perform at your best even though you are at your weakest.
Those who think of a marathon as 26 miles are set up to be disappointed by a false finish line. In business, we encounter a lot of false finish lines. It is when we think we have solved a procedural problem because we have brainstormed a solution and given everyone their marching orders. It is when we think we have eliminated a problem by recruiting a great new hire. It is when we think we are successful because we signed an amazing new client. These are all false finish lines – there is a big point 2 in front of us.
No workflow in the history of business has every been magically changed by a meeting. The point two is the nurturing and oversight over a period of months to make that new solution actually work. That new employee won’t be able to affect change just by walking in the door. The point two is training and mentorship.
That new client, that perfect fit for your service with the perfect budget also comes with a point 2. They still need the best onboarding you’ve ever performed, and you need to get to momentum fast to solidify the partnership and or drive utilization.
At ROOT3, we know we are never running 26 miles, we are running 26 point two. We ignore false finish lines and make sure we have the mental and physical energy in reserve to get to the real finish line with speed and momentum.
