If a baseball player doesn’t hit a home run every time he steps up to bat, then what was the point of the swing? That’s a silly question for a number of reasons, but sometimes we adopt this mentality in sales. It’s called Home Run Syndrome. If we are not great every time we try, then the effort was a waste of time. For example, your team went to the trade show that was ill-attended; far from a home run. It was a wasted swing (strike). We spent a lot of time and got close to closing a nice deal, but they went with a competitor. We wasted a swing (ball) We landed a new customer, but it’s not a very big account. We should have put that effort into a bigger opportunity. A wasted swing (first base). No swing in sales is truly wasted if you learn from it, and if you don’t swing, then you learn very little.
Not everyone suffers from Home Run Syndrome, but if you have a sales manager who’s really pressuring you, or you are having a hard time achieving your goal, sometimes we don’t care about the little victories that get us to home plate and we assume no one else does either. But in sales, we have to swing the bat often just to get to first or second base. If you just sit and wait from the home run pitch, chances are you will seldom swing at all. The more you swing, the better you can become. Not everything in sales can, or will be a home run, so manage your expectations and continue to put in your time and effort. It’s worth it. Here are some helpful tips if you feel that you or someone on your team is suffering from Home Run Syndrome.
- More strikes equal more experience – A strike is, or at least should be, a lesson learned. But unlike baseball, you’re not out after 3 strikes. I know many salespeople who get countless strikes before they finally get on base. But once they are on base the first time, they increase and improve their odds of doing it again. Learn from what you are doing and make the experience your wisdom.
- More swings equal more hits – Your average and scores will go up almost by virtue of your effort. Now, that said, if you are really lousy at swinging, then you need to improve your technique. But persistence and perseverance go a long way in sports and sales.
- Get to home plate one base at a time – What is the point value between a home run and someone who gets across home plate one base at a time? Nothing. In the end, the goal was achieved with or without the pizzazz (no I didn’t mean to say pizza). Home runs are great, but they don’t always win games. Getting across home plate as many times as you can is how the game is won. The same is true with sales. Keep swinging and keep getting on base. You will get there.
