06.30.10
What do baseball, toilet paper and business have in common?
Who knew that being a Little League All-Star involved certain rites of passage… including toilet paper. Yet, that is how the evening started when the team piled into two cars intent on inducting the newest all star members into the hallowed halls of fame.
“Ok boys, this house is the one,” stated Coach Lasorda (names changed to protect the innocent). Excitedly, the team sneaked up the sidewalk and began their treacherous work. Just minutes had passed- an adult voice, feet pounding down the sidewalk. Jumping in the car, a quick count, uh-oh, two kids missing. Fearless Coach Torre began his long walk up the sidewalk.
A rather irritated parent exclaimed, “Do these two kids belong to you? Do you know what they are out doing?”
“Uhhh, Yes. I do,” was the reply.
Dumfounded, the parent shook his head as Coach Torre asked, “Aren’t you Mr. T with our little league?”
“No.”
“Oops. Wrong house, wrong target. Alright boys, clean it up, on to the next house.”
We, I mean they, all had a good laugh.
Are you missing or hitting the right target? As a business person, identifying the business segments you want your sales people to target is critical. Some companies are very good at this while others take a “let’s get it all” approach with no particular plan in mind. Targeting specific business segments, e.g. government, healthcare, property management, remodels, allows you to have a much more balanced model that keeps your business steadily growing instead of having unbelievable peaks and never ending valleys.
In order to target certain business segments here are some considerations:
Saying you want to do it doesn’t make it so
Develop a structured plan
Ask what is our market share/revenue goal?
Who is responsible for growing this business?
What staffing changes need to be made to meet the goals?
Do we need to create a separate division to bring focus?
How will we track progress?
From little league baseball, to toilet paper to business- what a connection! If you hit the wrong house or target in business, it can severely damage the financial health of your company but if you plan and execute properly, the rewards can be terrific and bring many years of prosperity.
Have a Happy 4th.
Brian Boek
