Jay Mitchosky

C elebrating both Cinco de Mayo and Formula 1 in Miami this weekend inspired me to post these five (5) observations as relating to sales and marketing. Look hard enough and you can attach an analogy to anything…and I’m always looking for a good analogy. Don’t even get me started on Seinfeld.

The Pit Crew Unsung heroes, the Pit Crew in Formula 1 can make or break a race. Drivers fight tooth and nail for every tenth-of-a-second on track; the best crews can produce this advantage and more with every stop. Everyone in this team has a specific role they execute flawlessly, perfectly synchronized with each other.

In healthcare you will routinely hear reference to pit crew models for delivering high-quality CPR, or within a Code Blue (cardiac arrest response) team. Each depend on and trust one another to be at the right place, the right time, doing the right thing. Together. Similarly in a sales environment; there are many teams and individuals across different functional roles—sales, marketing, operations, contracts, finance, manufacturing, service and beyond—who strive towards excellence and synchronized execution. When it all works, it’s transparent, and the customer experience is seamless. Every team member is focused on their role with one common vision: how that role contributes to and benefits the customer.

Want to see the best of the best in action? Check this out. Tires off, tires on, go…blink and you almost miss it, a mere 1.8 seconds.

The Race Engineer/Strategist It may seem odd, but a Formula 1 driver often has little awareness of anything else on track beyond what they can see immediately in front of and behind them. It’s not always clear their relative position and pace to the rest of the field.

Behind every driver is their Race Engineer and Race Strategist. They see everything. Sifting through tonnes of performance data and running simulation upon simulation to identify strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats for the race outcome. They understand the big picture. Which is why it is common to see their instructions met with pushback from the driver. What may seem the wrong decision in the moment makes complete sense in context of the overall race.

Align big picture strategy to front-line tactics guided by mutual context.

When the bigger picture strategy is well-communicated across the team, everyone has a more complete understanding of where certain tactics fit and why. It’s also a balance, as the engineer depends on the driver’s feedback to help inform those decisions; in the trenches, closest to the action. So, too, with field sales’ insight into their customers contributing to overall marketing strategy. Context is everything and drives both ways.

The Undercut In Formula 1, the “undercut” is a race strategy whereby a trailing car pits before the lead. With a fresh set of grippier tires (or tyres, for those across the pond) the driver can put in a faster out lap and, ideally, overtake the leading car before they themselves can clear the pits. It’s a relatively simple and potentially very effective maneuver that can offset an inherent pace advantage with another team. But timing is everything. Too soon and you prematurely bake the tires which will cost you later in the race. Too late and the leading team may beat you to the punch, nullifying a potential advantage.

Get in front of opportunities to leverage your strategic options — timing is critical.

You may or may not always have the leading solution in a competitive environment. Getting in front of an opportunity pays big dividends, allowing you to better understand the customer’s business and pain points. The best solution is the one that best aligns with and addresses these gaps. It gives you more traction to get in front of the competition. (I concede that one’s a bit groan-worthy)

The Mirror When you are the leader (or otherwise ahead) there’s a target on your back. Always. Which compels you to watch your rear view. It’s important to be aware of who’s around you and what’s coming…but also a risk if this becomes too much of a focus. Not looking forward means your performance suffers, you are no longer playing to your strengths that brought you to the lead in the first place. You aren’t fully engaged in your own race, maximizing your own performance. And you may not see other obstacles that are ahead. Control the controllables [sic] and prioritize how your solution uniquely meets your customer’s needs.

Photo Credit: Please advise if known. Oftentimes during a race the engineer will chirp in a driver’s ear to get after the car ahead, don’t worry about those behind. Which is another important message — trust your team. They have your back.

The Bull This is how it looks when everything comes together in a perfect storm of performance. Every individual, every team, at every level absolutely sending it. When it works…utter, complete domination.

...the drive to innovate and improve can’t stop.

Red Bull Formula 1 Team’s 2023/24 season was a bender of truly historic racing performance. R&D, Engineering, the mechanics, the pit crew, the pit wall, the drivers. Functional teams from top to bottom—at the plant and on the track—pulling on the same rope (recent controversies notwithstanding). That said, Red Bull are also careful to admit this level of dominance is fleeting. Nothing lasts forever, the drive to innovate and improve can’t stop.

Work together as a team, deliver the best pit crew support in your stated role, understand the common objective of maximizing the customer experience, communicate the strategy but integrate the “on track” intelligence, leverage strategic advantages by being in front of opportunities, keep your focus forward on your unique strengths. And always have each other’s back.

I’m just dipping into posting this type of informational content — let me know where these points ring (and do not ring) true, or what else you might like to see.

Jay Mitchosky

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada 359 followers 344 connections

See your mutual connections View mutual connections with Jay Sign in Welcome back Email or phone Password Show Forgot password? Sign in or New to LinkedIn? Join now or New to LinkedIn? Join now

About

Experience

Stryker

-

-

Education

Licenses & Certifications

How to Think Strategically

LinkedIn

Building an Integrated Online Marketing Plan

LinkedIn

Content Strategy for Marketers

LinkedIn

Courses

Big Picture Core Marketing Framework | Big Picture Partners

-

LinkedIn Learning | Building an Integrated Online Marketing Plan

-

LinkedIn Learning | How to Think Strategically

-

LinkedIn Learning | Power BI Essential Training

-

View Jay’s full profile

Other similar profiles

Melissa Donnelly

Kristyn L.

Jonathan Hill

Cheryl Ha

Annie St-Cyr

Stephanie Pascual

Kitty Zanata

Kevin Flewwelling

Kevin Green

Nitasha Mann

Rianna Reid

KEVIN SINGH

Aravind Petlu

Mark Sun

Eric Pothion

Jed Dadson

Estefania Bafunno

Dagmar Veenhoven

Sonia St-Onge

Haejeong Woo

Explore collaborative articles

Add new skills with these courses

Navigating Environmental Sustainability: A Guide for Leaders

Measuring Team Performance

Customer Experience (CX) Strategy: How to Design an Organizational Approach

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

359 followers 344 connections

View mutual connections with Jay

Welcome back

Email or phone

Password

Forgot password?

or

New to LinkedIn? Join now

or

New to LinkedIn? Join now