- Sometimes striking out is the best thing that can happen to you.
I know telling this to a player is the equivalent to patting them on the back and saying better luck next time, but in the bigger picture, striking out every now and then is good for you. Besides keeping you grounded and humble, it gives you the opportunity to determine what’s not working. Every business plan should be re-evaluated annually and discovering the weak spot in your swing can help you grow and adapt to a new strategy.
- Read your target and adjust your field position accordingly.
There’s a scene in almost every baseball movie where a player steps up to the plate and all the outfielders move in. They know to do that because they’ve studied this player. They know his hitting pattern. The same applies to you and who you’re trying to reel in as a client. Do your research on them and adapt your presentation to what you think will be most receptive to them. Be smart about your approach to different clients. A potential tech client won’t need or be attracted to the same presentation a potential real estate client will want. We are beyond the days of one-size-fits-all. Everything is tailored. Everything is custom.
- Practice your game, know your game, learn more about your game. And then practice some more.
No truly great player will tell you that everything just came to him naturally and he never had to work hard for it. If so, he’s lying. Business strategies and innovative ideas may come to you naturally, but that doesn’t mean you still shouldn’t be constantly trying to get better at what you do. The Internet exists now. It can give you a plethora of up-to-date information about your competition, about the history of your market, about trends surrounding your service or product. Doing what you’ve always done in an ever-changing, fast-paced game won’t hold up for very long. And when you learn something new, when you take in all that wisdom about your business, the most important thing to do with it is put it into practice.
