Page 38 - midJersey Business - January 2015

Your Business

BEST PRACTICES AND OUTSIDE-THE-BOX SOLUTIONS

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Marketing

The sound of my name has caused
plenty of problems. Still does. But it has

also given me something marketing ex-
perts call “stickiness.” People remember

my name. It catches people’s attention.
It may have led you to read this article.

Opportunity.
Look at the word “opportunity” and

focus on the end of the word. The inal

ive letters spell unity. My experience has
taught me to believe in and look for the

unity between problems and opportuni-
ties—even if it takes a little while for the

opportunity to present itself. I call that
probortunity thinking.

The inventor of 3M’s Post-It Notes used
probortunity thinking. In 1968, Dr. Spen-

cer Silver set out to create a super glue
to improve the adhesive used on 3M tape

products. Instead, he ran into the problem
PROBORTUNITY KNOCKS
of developing an adhesive that worked on

paper only until someone pulled on the
paper. The problem of an adhesive that
The four pillars of seeing opportunities
didn’t quite work evolved into the oppor-
in problems |
by Gerry Sandusky
tunity to create a product that has illed
oice cubicles ever since.
S
The nature of the problem of my name
changed dramatically once I saw the op- tanding on the football field Several months later, I stood along

portunities it could lead to. Along the way, in the fall of 2011, hours the rail at Belmont Park racetrack in the
I discovered four pillars that will support before a Baltimore Ravens middle of a dozen reporters preparing to

anyone’s search for opportunities in the game against the Pittsburgh do live TV reports. Holding the micro-
realm of problems.
Steelers, I reached out to phone in my right hand, I stared into the

shake the hand of former
TV camera and delivered a live tease to
PILLAR NO. 1:
NBC Sports President Dick Ebersol and an upcoming story. “Triple Crown hopes

DON’T RUN; DON’T HIDE
introduced myself. “Nice to meet you. I’m arrive at Belmont. I’m Gerry Sandusky.
Accept the problem. Don’t ignore it.
Gerry Sandusky.”
That story, next.” I could feel the other

It’s there. So is the opportunity it will give He snatched his hand back, a flinch reporters gawking at me. A conspicuous
birth to. But you can’t begin to see the reflex as if my hand were on fire. Before silence hung along the track rail. Problem.

probortunity until you stop denying the I could say, “Gerry with a G, no rela- A year later, I took my family on a trip
problem.
tion to the former Penn State coach,” to Manhattan. At the check-in counter,

Ebersol had disappeared into a nearby the agent asked my name. When I told

PILLAR NO. 2:
crowd of people, a safe distance from the him, his eyes unlocked from mine and
CHOOSE YOUR RESPONSE
awkwardness caused by the sound of my scanned the room. He later admitted

We always have the power to choose.
name, an identical sounding name as a his instincts led him to look for police.
You don’t have to like the problem—who
convicted child molester. Problem.
Problem.

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