Playing the Fear Card
Mike Golfredson, CEO of RoadRunner Sports, has lost it. He’s been caught running his mouth off in public. In a classic knee-jerk fashion, Mike makes a feeble attempt to scare customers away from the growing barefoot running movement.
Trying to play to people’s fears in an effort to stop them from being informed will surely fail. Especially when research from none other than Harvard is being published. Trying to combat information with fear doesn’t work for long (one need only look at some previous US administrations to see that). Indeed, the only effective way to go up against information is with credible and convincing counter-information.
See Mike’s email for yourself below.
It’s Just Plain Bad for Business
As many of you are aware, I am a firm believer that running barefoot makes a ton of sense and that we can all benefit from doing at least some barefoot running. However, I only need to put my business cap on to see plenty of reasons why Mike’s newsletter is a big mistake. It breaks some cardinal rules of customer engagement and interaction. Mike should have held his tongue (and his head of marketing should be fired and a new PR agency hired – one with plenty of experience cleaning up after reckless CEOs).
Here are some of the rules Mike broke by sending such an email out to customers along with explanations for why it’s bad for his business:
1. Let your emotions guide your statements, not be your statements. The whole newsletter reeks of personal emotions. Using such strong language as barefoot running is a “major injury waiting to happen,” and bold type with multiple exclamation points is over the top emotionally. Taking a personal tone with customers is a good move if you have something positive to say. For example, sharing a personal run over the weekend and how it reminded you of why you love running can offer motivation. However, in discrediting an activity that has many people enthusiastic from a personal stance can come across like you are using the company platform to lash out.
2. Back up your statements with verified facts. Mike obviously knows that barefoot running has been in the press a lot lately. He therefore is aware that many of his customers could have read some of these articles. Though Mike only references reading the headlines, he’s surely read or been told how many of these articles actually mention possible benefits of running barefoot. That’s probably why he felt the need to send out this email. So, why doesn’t he provide some sort of research to back his statements up, knowing very well that there is research supporting the opposite of what he’s saying? Not providing support will result in a loss of credibility as an informed partner in people’s running endeavors.
3. Treat your customers as intelligent individuals. Businesses just never seem to learn that talking down to people only backfires. “Don’t blindly follow the latest trends” infers that without his help people would do just that. How can that possibly have a good effect? What must Mike think of his customers if he thinks “pea-sized rocks” will leave them sidelined for weeks? He makes it sound like he thinks his customers are all frail invalids who will suffer a massive injury from stepping on “pea size rocks.” Give your customers more respect than that.
4. Provide value in every interaction. It’s quite simple: don’t interrupt people unless you can offer them a solution to a real need of theirs. Providing a discount, an added service, or new and helpful information often meets this criteria. In this email, though, Mike offers nothing new. A call to shop for new shoes at the end of the email, after saying running with no shoes is bad, bad, bad, is not only void of value, it’s a final reminder to the reader (just in case they didn’t make the connection already that barefoot running is very bad for your business) that this email is all about selling more shoes. So much for the opening statement about caring for people’s wellbeing. It sounds like money comes first for Mike.
5. Never, ever, look desperate. Perhaps one of the biggest mistakes Mike made in sending this email out is that it makes him look like his back is against the wall, and like a scared animal, the claws come out. The saying, “’Em are fighting words,” comes to mind. As it will for RoadRunner’s customers. Taking a defensive stance smells of desperation. And customers don’t like doing business with desperate companies. They want people they can trust will be around over the long haul. Leaders of product and dialogue. Companies setting the standards, not trying to tear new standards down.
Some Running Retailers Embrace Barefoot Running
“The whole barefoot running thing,” as Mike puts it in his email, isn’t inherently a bad thing for retailers of running gear. ZombieRunner, a store in Palo Alto, CA, focused on the trail and ultra running markets has actually embraced barefoot running. After reading the book Born to Run, co-owners Don Lundell and Gillian Robinson, hosted several barefoot running clinics where the author of Born to Run, Chris McDougall, along with one of the barefoot runners mentioned in the book, Barefoot Ted, taught people how to transition back into running without shoes. Participants weren’t allowed to wear shoes, not even the very minimal Vibram Five Fingers.
When asked why a retailer, whose shoe sales make up a good percentage of their overall revenue would actually promote barefoot running, Gillian matter-of-factly responded that it was good for their runners.
Therein lies the difference between companies like RoadRunner Sports who lash out against barefoot running and those who not only accept it but embrace it. Don and Gillian are focused on spreading the joy of running that they experience. They sell only products they would run in and firmly believe are the best for runners. RoadRunner Sports, I’m afraid, values the bottom line more than running. It probably wasn’t the case when RoadRunner Sports started, but as they’ve grown they’ve forgotten running and what’s best for the sport.
As to why exactly why Mike wrote the email, your guess is as good as mine. It probably came down to money. He’s probably pissed that he turned down what has become the hottest shoe on the market, the Vibram Five Fingers. Or his worldview is based on the belief that man is not as smart as machine. Whatever the case may be, Mike should think twice about his next move.
When you’re next in the market for running gear or information, think about the people behind the company. Are they in it for the love of the sport? Do they sell anything they wouldn’t buy themselves? Is what’s best for you driving their business decisions?
Full-Transparency: I receive no perks from any retailer nor am I currently part of any affiliate program. I was a previous customer of RoadRunner and am now a customer of ZombieRunner among other retailers of running gear.
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Selling shoes the old-fashioned way: fear
6 months ago
Bob (Downtown Runner)
6 months ago
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water…… Took me a while to find time to respond but here goes:
I think that part of the problem I see with many runners online is they think that if you're not running ultras or tris, or even marathons, then you aren't really a runner. They forget that there is a whole population of people out there spread all along a spectrum from world class athlete to weekend jogger.
“The speed at which we run a race (any race—100 miles or 100 meters) measures our knowledge of running. I think that’s why most of us bother to race at all—to measure how much we’ve learned and improved since the last time.”
Some people never run races. Does that mean none of them understand running? I think not. They just don't like races for some reason. Some have no desire to go faster, but only to maintain a certain level of fitness. They are still runners in my book.
I agree that being experienced, knowledgeable, and skilled with something is an plus when it comes to teaching. But there are a lot of counter examples. There have been successful coaches in all of the major sports that either never played or only played in high school. Many very successful teachers, at all levels, have never had a “real world” job in the field they teach in. I had a Physics teacher in high school that never worked outside the classroom but I learned more from him (about Physics and life) than most of my college science professors.
I don't think barefoot running is a panacea either. And much of what we hear is indeed anecdotal and/or based on limited time frames. But at this point, with literally hundreds if not thousands of people finding value in it, it clearly should not be dismissed as something that is too dangerous, particularly by someone who has financial motivations to do so.
Breastfeeding & Barefooting | a RUN supreme
6 months ago
Your page is now on StumbleUpon!
6 months ago
Clynton
5 months ago
Thanks for sharing your insights into running through the lens of a doctor. It's very helpful to have in the mix. I think your attitude, especially as a retailer, is a very good one to have. It sounds like your focus is on helping people enjoy running and that's terrific.
Clynton
5 months ago
I like the examples of other sports, such as baseball players wearing mitts. It's something I've been meaning to write about. My father grew up playing Cricket and never wore a glove – to this day even professional Cricket players use their hands only to catch a very hard ball being thrown fast and far. I'm sure they get hurt from time to time, but you can bet they are less likely to make a bad catch again after that experience. I think the same thing can be said about Rugby. Far fewer injuries than American Football, and certainly far fewer serious concussions. I think shoes absolutely get in the way of vital proprioceptive information. Just like is the case in gridiron football, players are given a false sense of protection so do far more than they should. Hitting someone in the head in Rugby with your head is the pure definition of stupidity since you are just as likely to get hurt yourself.
I think shoes can often cause us to run in a way that is more harmful than we initially think. Now, if you have learned how to run properly already, you can run well in even thick shoes (albeit much more difficultly). However, if you're new to running (or haven't for some time since most everyone did when they were kids) you are given by many running stores the thickest shoes to start out with. These shoes block much feeling and allow you to do all sorts of horrendously bad things like heel strike. That's when you end up injured and in the hospital like myself.
Brendon Mahoney
3 months ago
Great article Clynt! Great having you in the gym as well. Excited to get our endurance team going at CrossFit San Mateo and having you be a part of it!
If Mr. G were smart, he would jump on the current “trend” back to minimalist type running and offer Vibram's, Inov-8's, etc at his store, offer tech classes on running form and classes/seminars on barefoot running. It would be akin to top-level steakhouses reading the writing on the wall and offering grass-fed beef. A no-brainer.
Fortunately we have the power to choose which shops and retailers to support while sending a message to this guy that he's way off course.
Clynton
3 months ago
Thanks, Brendon. It felt really good to do CrossFit with you this week (CrossFit San Mateo – http://crossfitsanmateo.com/). I'm psyched to get fit. Certainly a very humbling experience, though! Looking forward to noticing the progress a few weeks down the road.
Yes, Mr. G really missed a good opportunity there. Great analogy of Steakhouses.
Thanks for stopping by. See you next week.
Clynton
3 months ago
Thanks, Brendon. It felt really good to do CrossFit with you this week (CrossFit San Mateo – http://crossfitsanmateo.com/). I'm psyched to get fit. Certainly a very humbling experience, though! Looking forward to noticing the progress a few weeks down the road.
Yes, Mr. G really missed a good opportunity there. Great analogy of Steakhouses.
Thanks for stopping by. See you next week.
Breastfeeding and Barefooting | tspn.tv
1 month ago
[...] How the barefoot running movement is driving one CEO to ruin a brand. // via RunningQuest.net [...]
Magnum Owseven
2 weeks ago
health experts still highly recommend barefoot running. and i went with that advice. i bought the vibram five fingers and have been so happy with it ever since