New here? Dave from Area 224 would love to talk with you about getting your marketing plan aligned with your business plan. And your objectives. And the important stuff. Need a marketing coach?
Baseball Season Is Here. And?
What does that have to do with finding the right business coach? Good question…
We’re a week (or so) into the 2012 Major League Baseball season, and, as usual, there will be a story line or two (or three) that gets people buzzing. But if you don’t follow the game, that’s okay: we’d like to put some of the early developments into place and talk about getting a coach. For your business. Even if you don’t care about baseball one iota.
The Miami Marlins are a Startup
Funny – how can a team that is starting its 20th Major League season and has two World Championships be a startup?
Let us count the ways: new ballpark. New uniforms – all the way to the hats (see photo). New manager (controversial guy, that Ozzie Guillen). Bunch of new players.
Even a new name: they used to be the Florida Marlins, but they wanted to be truer to their home city. So in with a new name, the Miami Marlins.
Wait, does your business need a transformation? Or is it fine under current management?
Miami needed a transformation and decided that the complete brand overhaul was in order. Overhaul of everything – the product on the field and the ambiance off the field.
Yet, one thing is crystal clear: they want to win championships. Clear objectives make for better marketing, better operations, better brand management.
Finding a coach who can help you see your business from the outside in is vital in a day and age when EVERYONE looks like they’re running a startup, even the Miami Marlins.
Longevity is Tough in the Majors
Remember the old days: when people worked for 45, sometimes even 50 years at the same company, then retired with a gold watch and a pension?
If you want further proof that longevity in any business is tough, consider this list, from ESPN, of the nine major league players who are considered active “lifers” – ten years or more of service with only one team.
However you want to look at this trend, consider what it means for your business: maybe you have a shop that isn’t keeping people, or maybe you know you have to rely on free agent talent to keep your shop moving. Maybe there’s a way to get people better “engaged” or more committed.
Getting a coach who can suggest ways to improve how you’re managing your people is really important, too.
The Dodgers Are Smoking Hot
Sometimes, “Under New Management” may be just what the doctor ordered.
The Los Angeles Dodgers appear to be doing no wrong lately. Winning on the field, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Dodger Stadium. AND…they got bought by a group that includes Magic Johnson.
What happened?
When all the pieces are in place on the field, maybe you need help figuring out what has to be fixed OFF the field.
Let’s be direct: the off-the-field “stuff” with the Dodgers’ ownership was ugly. Yet, on the field, they had the reigning Cy Young Award winner (the best pitcher in the league) AND one of the best hitters in the league.
So getting things right off the field was rather important – and they’re well on their way.
Finding the Right Business Coach is Important
In your own business, you need to get at the objectives. Are you in it to win it? Sure, we all are, right?
But…what does it mean to “win?”
You have to step outside your comfort zone, and yourself, to really REALLY understand where you’re going – and what you’ll do to get there.
In the baseball examples above, there are possibly a myriad of objectives. Win on the field. Win off the field. Stay with your team. Create an image that wins your old fans back – or wins new fans. And so on…
Are you ready to answer the tough questions – and ask them of yourself, too?
