Beat Your Competition Into the Ground For political candidates, if your signs are in the ground first, you will be memorable and make a first impression. If you’re second or anything thereafter you've just become visual spam. Beating your competition into the ground isn’t just good advice for politicians. It’s also a great metaphor for you and your business. If you’re not first, you’re forgotten. I share this with you because the single best piece of advice my coaching mentor gave me when I became a college head coach was “Be the first one in the living room.” He was referring to being the first recruiter to make a home visit with a blue-chip prospect’s family during recruiting season. Following his sage advice off the field turned out to be the biggest difference-maker over the years in beating my competitors on the field. I kept track of how many top recruits I signed when I was “the first in the living room”...