At the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament this year, the big underdogs didn’t hold up. They usually don’t. It’s always interesting and fun when the underdog makes a run at the title, but most always, those that are favored end up on top (my team, Syracuse, was not destined to be a winning underdog this year).

In business, most of us are actually the perennial underdog. We are fighting for more people to recognize us, see us online, decide to work with us, talk about us, etc. How do you treat your underdog status? Do you have a marketing plan that will help you rise up, win more business, and in turn, surprise your competitors?

The fact is that winning, whether you are the underdog or the favorite, is usually not a chance occurrence. The incredible winning shot by Villanova to become the champion was not a chance occurrence. They didn’t get lucky when that play worked out and the shot fell into the basket. According to the team, they practice that same scenario at the end of every practice. Every practice. When they ran the play in the biggest moment of the game with 4 seconds left under suffocating pressure, it was something they were ready for.

Perhaps the key to rising above underdog status is to focus on how to win big and practice it over and over. What can you get better at?

What if you created a big thinking marketing strategy that has you taking over where your competitors fall short? As it turns out, it is those that are most ready for the challenge that win the most.