3 Lessons Industrial Marketers Can Learn from Ronda Rousey




Time to Read: 1m 30s

MMA fighter ronda rousey Ronda Rousey is the top female Mixed Martial Arts fighter in the world. She's as inspiring as she is controversial. And like all inspiring figures, she offers lessons that everyone -- even industrial marketers -- can use.

Be a Pioneer

Ronda Rousey was the first female fighter to sign a contract with the UFC. In doing so, she blasted open doors for the female fighters who will come after her. What can you do that your competitors haven't dared to do? Will you be the first among your competitors to opt for responsive design? Or to upgrade to faceted search? Whatever it is, if you have the chance to be the first in your class to do something, do it!

Keep a Competitive Edge

Dana White, President of the UFC, has described Rousey as "psychotically competitive," even to the point of deciding to out-do Kim Kardashian's book tour. If your competitors have a state-of-the-art website, break new ground with a site that uses brand new innovations. If your competitors use Pay Per Click, test-drive your own PPC campaign. Rousey's hunger for competition fuels her success; emulate her and you just might rise to the top.

Do You

People love to hate Ronda Rousey. She refuses to perform humility for the sake of sportsmanship, trash-talks her opponents and is often downright scary looking. She's no candidate for Miss Congeniality. And she's also not a phony. Ronda does Ronda, all the time. Now, I'm not saying that you should trash-talk other OEMs or send mean tweets to your fellow distributors. What I am saying is that you need to embrace what makes you you: what sets your brand apart? What do you do that's different? Discover your unique strengths and lead with those. Photo credit: zuko1312 / Foter / CC BY-ND