What your business can learn from Little League

  In Arizona we have dry rivers called washes. I often run a path by a particular wash and it goes right by a set of baseball fields. I saw some children today and I realized something that could help your small business. As I was running, one Little Leaguer roped a single up the middle of the diamond. The center fielder retrieved the ball and threw it towards the second basemen who threw it to home plate. The center-fielder used what is known as his cutoff man, or just cutoff. A cutoff is there so that the outfielders can throw the ball to the infield instead of attempting to throw out the runner from a great distance.

The Little Leaguer here cannot accurately hit his cutoff man at this stage in their life. The children are learning the basics of the game to build on later. Maybe you cannot accurately hit targets that you have set in your business plan. Look for a cutoff. Seeking help is a foundational business practice. Think of the franchise system, it is built on this basic premise. Think of the base runner as a customer who is walking out the door or who is on the verge of a purchase. Who can be your cutoff to close the deal? In baseball there are different cutoffs for different areas on the field. In business there are different cutoffs for different areas in your business field. Do not lose customers because you think that you have to throw the customer out all by yourself, because if you do they may be out the door and you will only be sore.  Seek help when you need it, a basic principle

One area that many small businesses are in need of a cutoff is in online marketing.  In my daily job as I preview webpages, Facebook pages, and YouTube videos. I see small businesses throwing out content as accurately as the children that I saw on the baseball diamond.  Because of companies like YouSocial, there are options for small businesses out there. One point about the cutoff should be addressed here. Without any effort from the center-fielder  the cutoff can switch strategies and throw in a different direction.  The cutoff can even decide not to throw if it is too risky. Similarly, a social media marketing company can give the small business owner a different direction without any effort. The owner may think that Twitter or LinkedIn are going to be effective forms of social media marketing. An experienced marketer may feel that Google+ or Facebook would work better.

Marketing can be a tricky thing and if you try to do it all yourself you will end up overworked and stressed out. Leverage your cutoff people in your business arena, lean on them to make great decisions in areas that you may not have expertise. Learn to use these people to assist you in closing the sales, or making the out.  Children are learning this lesson every day; shouldn't business people do it too?  In Little League these lessons form a basis for children to build on. Where I live in Tucson, there was once a high school team that had five players who reached the pinnacle of baseball - the major leagues. Imagine five players from one high school team in the pros. They all started in Little League, learning to use their cutoff.  If you want to take the next step in your business, take a lesson from these kids; build from basics, do not try to do it all yourself, and use your cutoff.