So, if you have been to our website www.pinnacletraininggroup.com (little promo here), you can quite easily see I am a huge baseball fan.  We have built several training modules around the theme of keeping your eye on the ball, or staying focused.  As I write this article, I find myself right in the middle of my son’s high school baseball season and the other evening at one of his games, I had one of those moments where I identified how a frontline staff’s mentality should be like a great hitter's mentality.  Are you curious?

Batters live by the numbers. They love them when they are hitting good, not quite so much when they are not. The thing about numbers is; they don’t lie.  An interesting dilemma about batting is you are afforded the opportunity to fail more than you succeed yet still be highly successful. (I hope you got that as it is the point to this article!)  Think about this, only a rare handful of professional league hitters have a batting average of .400.  What this means is that for every ten times they go to bat, they hit successfully four.  Financially, a player who consistently hits close to .400 year in and year out will make millions and millions dollars!

Now to the point.  Let me ask you a question.  Do you believe that a player who bats .400 that has batted 4 times in one game and has hit successfully each time, the next time his name is called, has the attitude that his hits are all used up and determines in his mind that the numbers are now against him and asks if he can sit this one out? OF COURSE NOT! This player expects to hit every time!  There is no reason to go up to the plate if you do not expect that you are going to hit every time. Swing the bat!

What a lesson for us in business relationship building.  Every time we ask for a prospect to become a customer or client, we expect it.  Every time we cross-sell or promote additional services in the right way, we expect acceptance and every time we ask for a referral because of our great service, we believe we will gain one.  Now I know you are aware that we will never bat .1000 percent or be successful every time, but just think of what would happen to your business relationship building if you were successful 4 or even 3 out of every ten times.  Look at what this would do for your company not only from the profits it would generate, but also from the relationships it would strengthen.  It’s a win-win situation!

So here’s my challenge to you. If you believe your business is the best choice; if you have great service; and if you believe your products and services will make people’s lives better, then step up to the plate and swing the bat.  Take advantage of every opportunity and expect to succeed every time. But remember, if you “hit” 3 to 4 every 10 times you swing the bat, you will be a champion organization in the highly competitive world of business building!