Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Luck

"Bob Gibson is the luckiest pitcher I ever saw. He always pitches when the other team doesn't score any runs." — Tim McCarver

When you see someone succeed, you may perceive it as the result of many different factors. Perhaps luck, fortune or happenstance. Perhaps God given talent. Skill even. Even what is perceived is not seen though, the hours and hours of work put in behind t he scenes. Rarely does someone excel at an endeavor without it, the blood sweat and tears of years of practice, study, dedication to craft. When you see someone land the monster, take the time to ask them what they did to achieve it. How long they had been working it. Consider their background, their schooling, how many books they read, seminars they attended, phone calls they made, letters they wrote, advice they had asked for. What they had done throughout their career and their loves to achieve at that moment what they had set as a goal. What we can't see is more important than what we do see. All we have as spectators is the finality of the achievement, none of the groundwork enabling it. If only we could view it as a whole, appreciate it more, maybe we all would learn more about what it requires to grasp that golden goose.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Do you have a "net negative" salesperson?

"I don't like them fellas who drive in two runs and let in three." - Casey Stengel

Ever had one of those salespeople on your team? The guy who drives everyone crazy? The one who is a net negative for the company? The one who causes drama and turmoil for the rest of the staff but still produce record revenue? One who may exceed expectations when it comes to dollar production, but is not producing to the other expectations set forth...whatever they may be? Do not be afraid to fire your top producer. Expectations must be set in all areas. Of course, perhaps it is the managers fault for not properly demanding and holding them to the performance expectations set forth. They must be held accountable, just like the rest of us.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Why do we question?

"To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science." - Albert Einstein

Good ol' Albert. He limited himself to science, which helped us out a bit in WWII. His mind, his creativity, his unique approach is what created his genius. To stand apart from others, to remove yourself from the group to see from a different perspective. To separate from the collective and to see "it" differently. The ability to consistently gain that new viewpoint can provide you the edge in creative problem solving. And as salespeople, as partners, as friends, as colleagues, that ability can make us remarkable.

Tony Robbins said: "Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers."

Monday, July 23, 2012

Intimidation?

"The pitcher has to find out if the hitter is timid, and if he is timid, he has to remind the hitter he's timid." Don Drysdale

Ever had a customer do this to you? Don't blink, don't let them see you sweat. Act like you have been there before and be calm. Sometimes you have to fighrt fire with fire, and tactfully and respectfully respond with equal agressiveness to show that you will not be bullied.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Closing a save? Saving a close? Closers & Savers?

The "Save" in baseball has been around as an offical statistic since 1969. The MLB rulebook states:

Saves:
Rule 10.20 in the Official Rule Book states:
Credit a pitcher with a save when he meets all three of the following conditions:
(1) He is the finishing pitcher in a game won by his club; and
(2) He is not the winning pitcher; and
(3) He qualifies under one of the following conditions:
- (a) He enters the game with a lead of no more than three runs and pitches for at least one inning; or
- (b) He enters the game, regardless of the count, with the potential tying run either on base, or at bat, or on deck (that is, the potential tying run is either already on base or is one of the first two batsmen he faces; or
- (c) He pitches effectively for at least three innings. No more than one save may be credited in each game.

The term "closer" has been around in reference really only since the 1990's, as most often the term previous was "fireman." Typically relievers were used in this sense to "put out a fire" of potential runners scoring. ESPN.com writer Jim Caple once wrote wrote that closers' saves in the ninth "merely conclude what is usually a foregone conclusion."

In terms of "closing a sale" - If the job has been done, the questions and concerns addressed, all i's are dottted and t's crossed - the next step of cosing the deal should be to "merely conclude what is usually a foregone conclusion." Right?

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Unassisted? We all need help. Most of the time.

July 19 1909 - Cleveland shortstop Neal Ball pulled off the first unassisted triple play in modern Major League history.

In baseball history, the unsassisted triple play is one of the most rare feats to be accomplished, only 15 times in history. From June of '27 to September of 1992, there was only ONE.

Rarely does one succed in life without some form of help along the way. As individualistic as we all may be, as determined as we are to go it alone, as much as we may be a "Lone Wolf" - do not forget your team. From invoicing to marketing, from warehousing to shipping, they all contribnute to the customer satisfaction at the end of the day.

Rarely is anything ever "unassisted."

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Opinions are like....

"All opinions are not equal. Some are a very great deal more robust, sophisticated and well supported in logic and argument than others." Douglas Adams

Do you homework before opening your mouth. Sharing an idea without substantial evidence to support your opinion can be dangerous and foolhardy.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Longevity

July 16 1902 - John McGraw was named manager of the New York Giants, a job he would hold for thirty years.

To be great, one has to be very good for a very long time. The ability to achieve consistency, day in and day out, year after year, can gain and retain your clients. Your residual rewards will continue to grow as you maintain your level of effort, determined, forceful, without fail, running out all the groundballs.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Winning & Losing

July 13 1963 - Early Wynn, at 43, registered his 300th and last victory.

"I don't like losing a ballgame any more than a salesman likes losing a sale." Early Wynn

Do the people who succeeed the most, the longest, do they hate losing more than others? Are winners driven by a fear or hatred of losing so much so that it is the true reason they rise above the others?

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Promotional Marketing!

On this date in baseball history, July 12, 1979 - Thousands of fans overran the Comiskey Park field during Disco Demolition Night, causing the Chicago White Sox to forfeit the second game of a doubleheader.

Made me think of what marketing ideas we have that just don't work out very well. Chocolates in the summer, leting all over. Hosting events with so little turnout you lose money. Buying promotional items in large quantities before verifying the quality will work for you. There was 10 cent beer night in Cleveland in 1974.

Think hard about your promotions, they can be detrimental!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Swing Big.

"I swing big, with everything I've got. I hit big or I miss big. I like to live as big as I can." - Babe Ruth

July 11, 1914 - Babe Ruth made his 1st appearance in the big leagues with Boston and was credited as the winning pitcher. The beginning of the career of the most fanous baseball player in history.

A complicated man to be sure with many strengths and weaknesses, his biography is fascinating. What gets me the most though is his love for the game, the sheer fun he had. He enjoyed helping people, he enjoyed the fans, he seemed to enjoy and live his life like few people do. I am sure his money and fame had something to do with it, ("If it wasn't for baseball, I'd be in either the penitentiary or the cemetery.") but I believe we can all learn a bit from him. Quit complaining and be happy with what you have.

But back to Ruth's comments about swinging big. Give it all you have. This is a life lesson to be remembered, as you do not know what you could have if you don't try, if you don't swing for the fences, if you don't reach for the stars, if you don't stretch for the impossible. Ask the prettiest girl out for a date, go for the job or the promotion that you don't think you have a chance of landing, go for the large client, try to speak with the CEO. Do not sit afterwards regretting what you did not try, but live with the satisfaction that you did try. Even with failure, the attempt was well worth the effort. You never will succed if you do not push yourself, to reach beyond. If you cannot do it yourself, recognize it, and ask for help. Your wife, friends, brother, boss, coworker, they can help you talk through it. Then do it.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Analogies

"Making love is like hitting a baseball. You just gotta relax and concentrate." Susan Sarandon

I love a good analogy. Nothing like one to make a joke, lighten a mood and make a point. People remember them. They can make a complex problem seem simple.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Control is Paramount

"Some may have thought it was essential to know how to curve a ball before anything else. Experience, to my mind, teaches to the contrary. Any young player who has good control will become a successful curve pitcher long before the pitcher who is endeavoring to master both curves and control at the same time. The curve is merely an accessory to control." - Cy Young, Hall of Fame pitcher

Control. The ability to exercise restraining or directing influence over. A necessary skill. To control one's own temper, emotions, speech, tonal inflection, mannerisms. We all have situations that we face, obstacles in life, challenges we encounter...that when we look back we wish we had acted differently. The ability to know the appropriate behavior at that time and to act accordingly, that is the control you seek. Force yourself to breathe, control your breathing first, your heart rate, let the anxiousness of the moment wash over you and through you. Let the storm subside so you do not react. Reaction is a lack of control. When you have mastered this, then act accordingly. Think about what you would think later, and do it then. Control yourself and respond. Wait. Breathe. Relax. Calm.

Friday, July 6, 2012

Are you a loser?

"Above anything else, I hate to lose." Jackie Robinson

Seems that all winners have a common trait, an intense hatred of losing. I love it. Some people these days seem not to care. We teach our children to not be sore losers. We teach them to accept failure too easily. Schools these days eliminate certain activities because some poor child's self esteem may be damaged because he lost. Well that is life, You win some, you lose some. But the losing, the experience of it, helps strengthen your character, and most often will instill a drive in your heart. A motivation to not let that happen again. I believe we are robbing our kis of the experiences that will make them great. By not allowing winnning and losing, we continue to foster the mediocrity.

Here is to you all you losers out there, may you use the it to your advantage. Learn something to avoid losing again!

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Impact.

"A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." Jackie Robinson

Success can be yours, if you focus on your customer, your partner, THEIR success, not yours.

"Caring about others, running the risk of feeling, and leaving an impact on people, brings happiness." Harold Kushner

Caring is the word. If you are able to demonstrate "The Care Factor" no matter the risk, the rewards will follow. The impact on others will come to you. If you care enough to take a chance.

Ethical Business Questions....

July 5 1947 - Larry Doby of the Cleveland Indians becomes the first black to play in the American League. So sad it took that long.


Lou Gehrig said right many years earlier: "There is no room in baseball for discrimination. It is our national pastime and a game for all."

I will do business with most anyone, and there are some customers out there who just rub you the wrong way. But as they say, their money is still good. But racism, well, that is another story. I have a hard time stomaching any racist comments from anyone and find it near impossible to do business with them. Does doubling their price make it better or acceptable? What would Jackie Robinson say?

"He led America by example. He reminded our people of what was right and he reminded them of what was wrong. I think it can be safely said today that Jackie Robinson made the United States a better nation." - American League President Gene Budig

I am guessing he would disagree with me.




Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Today is your lucky day.

"Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about a bad break I got. Yet today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and I have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans. Look at these grand men. Which of you wouldn't consider it the highlight of his career just to associate with them for even one day? Sure I'm lucky. Who wouldn't have considered it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert? Also, the builder of baseball's greatest empire, Ed Barrows? To have spent six years with that wonderful little fellow, Miller Huggins? Then to have spent the next nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology, the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy? Sure, I'm lucky. When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat and vice versa, sends you a gift, that's something. When everybody down to the groundskeeper and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies, that's something. When you have a father and mother work all their lives so that you can have an education and build your body, it's a blessing. When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed, that's the finest I know. I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth. And I might have been given a bad break, but I've got an awful lot to live for." - July 4, 1939 at Yankee Stadium on Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day

One of the best men ever. If only we could all live life the way he did.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

How flexible are you?

"Pitchers, like poets, are born not made." Cy Young, Hall of Fame Pitcher.

Cy Young played from 1890 to 1911, totalling a record 511 Wins in an amazing Hall of Fame career. He also holds the record for the most losses in a career with 316.

Longevity and consistency, keys to success in any industry, business or relationship. He examplified the ability to adapt, change and progress as his industry evolved around him. As the most successful pitcher of all time, he straddled the bridge between the old era and the new era of baseball. When he first played, balls were being thrown underhand, fouls were not counted as strikes, the pitchers mound location was different and he did not even wear a glove until his sixth season!

How do you adjust your style, your approach, your techniques? Are you flexible in your delivery, are you able to modify your mannerisms, your voice inflection, your speed of speech? Are you able to recognize the need for such changes, or do you blunder on ahead with the same everything all the time?

Monday, July 2, 2012

Effort & Empathy - What does it get you?

"I want to be remembered as a ballplayer who gave all he had to give." Roberto Clemente - Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder, 1972.

Roberto Clemente collected his 3000th hit of his career on t he last game of the 1972 season. He was killed in a plane crash the following New Years Eve when transporting emergency supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.

I have recently witnessed death first hand of people who were in the middle of their extraordinary lives, helping others, building families, and then to be taken suddenly. I wonder how mmany of us give all that we can, to our spouses, children, co-workers, customers...all the people in our lives that we meet on a day to day basis. Are we good to them? Or are we just good enough to get what we want out the relationship? Do we help them and offer our support, our assistance, our empathy? Do we care enough to show them that we care about them as people? Do we care to know enough about their problems so that we can help, or just listen? Or are we all too focused on ourselves to possibly give to others.

I think most of us know the answers, and somehow we keep forgetting the questions.