Ninety-Four One Hundreds of a Second...

That's all that separated Gold from Silver in the Ladies Super Combined Ski in the Vancouver Olympics.

Less than a second made the difference between being first and second. I'm sure some Olympic contests were even tighter this year. Like the .34 of a second that separated bronze from fourth place in the same race.

The Olympics are a great analogy for marketing. You win or you lose. And the difference between the two is sometimes incredibly narrow.

What makes one business more successful than the competition? It's often a series of small differences that adds up to one big one.

A successful athlete knows his or her competitive advantage and makes the most of it. They practice what they need to grow and push the limits where they excel.

To paraphrase one of the athletes I saw interviewed: "That's sports. Outside influences can work against you. You just need to do everything in your power to win."

Takeaway: What's your competitive advantage? What are you doing to promote it? Is it in your ads? Your literature? Your press releases? Your on-hold message? What more can you do? Make every second count.