THE “HOW TO COPE” MANUAL
author:
Can you imagine having a manual that you can rely on for answers when you have a problem – any problem?
My banker will not listen to my problem? Hmm….(open book at index) Bankers: No listen - see page 14778 par 15.
I have always believed and still do of course that the human being will be responsible for the final destruction of the world the day when he causes something to happen for which he cannot find an antidote or a solution.
The fact that we are constantly busy developing ourselves and continuously improving (or trying to improve) our lifestyle means that we are well on our way to cause that major upset! Not too long from now we will invent a bomb or some ray that will move quicker than light, or at least get to the target sooner than the target gets to us, and during testing we will probably blow up the planet and land all over on passing meteors or comets.
Still being clever enough to destroy ourselves one day, we tend to overlook the most basic things in life.
The recent spate of strikes all over the country – where even white people started to Toy-toy (completely out of rhythm of course) and where black people held up Afrikaans posters once again proved our ability or lack thereof to see the whole picture.
Listening to people complain (87% of the time) about everything around them, while they criticise what other people do (about 97% of the time) without doing anything themselves (100% of the time) I realised that the actual doers or those who open themselves for criticism are busy fighting a losing battle.
We live in a world filled with professional complainers and critics – experts on everything somebody else does!
A bit closer to home – that is if motorsport can be called home, we, not unlike the strikers have much to say about everything that happens around us, but alas we say it to the wrong people most of the time.
It is incredible to see, read, or hear what some truly expert critics have to say about everything that happens around them. Due to the fact that I do actually run the rally website with most readers in South Africa I have to keep my ear on the ground and my eye on the ball – even if it is a human ball. It is difficult to do this as often as I would like to but when I read on certain forums where about six different people write to each other day in and day out. This means that everyone who reads that (luckily not too many it seems) are subject to about six different opinions about the same thing, which of course is confusing to many newcomers.
One pet subject targeted by these experts is the TV coverage given to the sport – and especially then to the class in which the critic or his friends participates.
It is amusing to read how coverage is “k.k” the moment the specific person did not get at least 5 minutes coverage on a program – amazing to see that they fail to work out what would for instance happen if every participant gets, lets say 30 seconds coverage – I mean to say if you show one A5 you need to show them all in fairness – and if you give Hergen a minutes coverage, you need to spend the same time on old MacDonald at the back fighting with his own seeding!
Imagine having to look at a rugby match where the ball carrier runs to score but the cameras are focussed on Wilde Boer de Wet lying on his back after being kicked in the balls by Vlugvoet Visagie? Or for that matter focusing on the bench to show the viewer Snotneus van der Schyf’s latest tattoo. “……….now back to the ball carier who meanwhile, we are glad to say, scored under the posts!”
On the one hand the critics wonder why the TV crews are so stupid that they do not know the sport – funny how they actually know who knows the sport and drive a car well enough to supply the entertainment to the viewer that will cause Supersport to continue broadcasting the events – while they, the critics have not held more that a one pixel cell phone camera in their hands.
The wrong interpretation of what is happening though does not worry me as much as the fact that most of these professional critics who still have to learn how to drive a car in many cases, whine about their poor sponsors and how they can not promise their sponsors any TV coverage because they do not get any coverage due to their lack of performance or the fact that they are still working their way up the ladder.
Facts of life: There are about 20 000 reasonable heavy weight boxers in the world – but people still talk about Mohamed Ali – there are more than 20 F1 drivers but people still talk about Stirling Moss’s ability but his bad luck never to have won a championship.
Talk to the people standing next to the road watching your antics or leaving before you arrive on the scene – and you will hear they mention Kuun, Damseaux, Habig, Gemmell, and now more and more Fekken……
I wonder why? Because of TV coverage? Of course – because of TV and other media that boosted these names and images over the years, but not withstanding that they are a bunch of arseholes who do not know what they are doing (according to some self made or is it homemade critics) they did not always focus on the mentioned names.
Have you ever wondered why Sarel van der Merwe became a household name in South Africa or do you believe it was simply because he could drive a car. Did it ever occur to you that he worked hard on his image, probably in the old days drank hard with the right, then reporters (now they are professional travellers), building his reputation? He got publicity because he won a rally overall in what was supposed to be “box standard” car. Even Sarel in those days, not unlike many of you wondered about the sanity of certain motoring journalist – as one day he wanted to know what I paid them to write about me, when the rivalry between us was rather intense.
What I am saying is that if van der Merwe did not shine in whatever he was driving – which incidentally was the best money could buy in most cases after he made his initial name (paying off up to five hire-purchases on cars that lay on the scrap-heaps early in their hire-purchase careers) – he would never have gotten where he was, especially not with a surname like “van der Merwe”.
The long and the short of this is that while you are not up there where it truly matters you will not get the publicity you feel so strong about. Fact is that commerce is built on success – sponsors want to be linked to winners and winners gets publicity. Even at the risk of sounding arrogant I have to mention here that I can actually not remember one rally in which I competed where I did not get any publicity – except when I got involved in a bit of a wrestling match with the royal highnesses who ran the holy Topcar magazine and controlled TV coverage wearing sponsored Raybans or Banrays I am not sure. Even then they were forced to show at least a few seconds of me when I beat some of their favourites to the post!
As you well know RallyStar sent out a survey recently that we intend using in future to try and determine the value of the sport, the economical impact the participants have and to determine a variety of other important factors. We are pleasantly surprised by the response after we expected the normal two or three teams to react, but notwithstanding a great response we have to say that most of the replies we got back was from already successful teams and not the ones who moan about everything.
That, dear reader brings me to the most important point – the most severe critics are those who have NEVER send us any press releases to promote or at least try and promote their sponsors – making it worthwhile for the sponsors to continue the relationship. Media coverage is only part of what you can do for your sponsor, you can get involved in many other things and most of all – it is your duty to promote his product. I could not help but smile the other day when a rather prominent navigator was seen putting in petrol of a no-no brand right next to where a big rally sponsor’s product was sold. When asked about this he admitted that he truly did not think for a moment.
I spoke to one of the most dedicated and prominent motorsport writers the other day asking him how many press releases he received after each rally from participants and he looked at me as if I asked him if he had an Aids test!
So, you see unfortunately you will have to get to the ball and really carry it.
I have had the honour and pleasure to watch a few youngsters come through the ranks and make it to the top or presently watching some who are busy climbing the ladder determinedly – and one single aspect or characteristic is common in all of them – they are determined and will never, ever give up without driving whatever they are put in, with everything they got.
Determination combined with skills can be seen and will be noticed I promise you, but you need to draw some attention to it. You need to say: “Here I am – look at me – I have talent – I can drive a car – and given half a chance I will show you what I am made off!”
If you are lucky and you draw attention to you and you convince the cameraman, the editor or the fan that you are worthwhile, you will get the publicity you deserve – but if you think reporters and sponsors will run after you while you do nothing at all, you have another thinking coming!
So typical of the strikers – they all demand – but I have not heard one single one of them saying “….and for the 8% increase we will give you, the employer at least 10% more productivity and we will show you we are worth the increase”. The best they had to offer was to accept one or two percent less than their initial ridiculous demands – (except maybe for teaching and medical professions).
We have attached the marketing questionnaire to this article in case you have not completed it yet. The information gathered in it is confidential and after we have gathered all the info we destroy all data to ensure you confidentiality. We can only compile a proper marketing campaign if we have the correct information.
So, if you have not yet completed your questionnaire – this may be your last opportunity to make a difference.
Stop talking and do something worthwhile for a change.
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