Are You Shifting?
Every once in a while on Twitter, I’ll catch some of the rabble-rousing about defensive shifts on the baseball field. Put the shortstop on the wrong side of second base, or leave the left field corner unattended and people go nuts.
It typically starts with a long-time fan vocalizing how strange it looks and how stupid that feels. Then another guy mentions how if they were commissioner, their first item of business would be to ban the practice. It’s not too long before someone else chimes in about how Ted Williams or [insert your long-dead childhood hitting hero here] is rolling in their grave and would have hit .700 against it. Why don’t more major leaguers bunt anyway?
The discussions are actually kind of fun. In a way, it’s like you’re watching baseball with people from around the world, and despite the distance, it feels for a moment like you’re all in the same place at the same time. The comparisons to the proverbial barber shop are apropos...
I was out to lunch with an old sales manager of mine, at a place we’d been a few times. I didn't bother looking at the menu, and said, “I’ll have the usual. I mean, if it ain’t broke, right?”
”What if your customers all felt that way?” His reply was all too quick... and poignant... Almost all of my customers feel that way, and yours do too.
I tell clients all the time that their biggest competitor is not the logo they're going head to head with, but rather the steady-as-she-goes, the-results-we're-getting-are-just-fine, laissez-faire attitudes. You can't afford to let your prospects and customers think that way.
Here's the thing about infield and outfield shifts on the baseball field: they are data-driven decisions, and they statistically put the team in a better position to succeed. Yes, it looks silly to have four infielders between first and second base. Yes, the obvious solution is for the hitter to ground one through the left side of the infield. These are professional hitters after all, yet they don't, and somebody's paying attention.
The data shows that based on the hitter's tendencies, in addition, to the way the pitcher plans to pitch to him, the outcome will be favorable for the defense the majority of the time if they're positioned, let's say, non-traditionally. Maybe it looks funny, but it's good baseball. The fact that these shifts are becoming more prevalent tells me that it's effective.
So while you're yelling at your tv screen, aren't baseball teams doing exactly what you're begging your customers to do? Taking the available information and making decisions based on the probability of a favorable outcome?
You present (or attempt to present) data to them on a regular basis that demonstrates your solution is the best one for their particular situation. You're certainly not outraged when they use that data and cut you a PO, are you?
I'm not going to call you a hypocrite, because I don't think you do it on purpose. However, I'd like you to think of the myriad situations around you where you can't get people to change their mind. I'd also like you to consider how often you might condemn someone for being willing to go out on a limb, do something against the status quo, and give their team what they believe is the best chance to win, even though it looks funny.
These defensive shifts should be applauded for their creativity in the face of normalcy. Use them as examples during your sales processes as situations where the seemingly off-the-wall play pays off.
Perhaps you can even do a little research that the shift was first employed over 70 years ago against arguably the greatest hitter that ever lived. Yes, it seems that what's old becomes new again.
Businesses have a responsibility to put their people in positions to win, even if they're not the rather arbitrary positions that feel normal just because "that's the way things are done." You have a responsibility to your customers to help them with the same. Be creative. The right solution may just be the one that your competitors are afraid to propose.
What do you think? Join the conversation in the Rethink The Way You Sell Community.
Jeff Bajorek
Real. Authentic. Experience.
There’s a big difference between knowing how to sell and being able to. Jeff Bajorek spent over a decade in the field as a top performer. He’s been in your shoes. He knows what it will take. He can help you succeed.
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