Inspired by Chipper Jones interview by Jake Zucker about the 6 things we should know about switch hitting.

As I read the above mentioned article in an old edition of ESPN, I found some commonalities with what Chipper was saying and what we do at eROI. One clarification…switch hitting in the big leagues is ridiculously difficult and rife with hidden horrors of laboring attrition. Compared to switch hitting digital marketing, it’s a walk in the park, a pat on the back, a sip of tropical rain forest well water. I do not have a round leather 90-mph projectile zooming towards my head on a daily basis. So with that said, let’s see what I learned form Chipper.

1. ITS GOT TO BE IN YOUR BLOOD: Chipper Jones’ dad had more than 30 years of coaching experience and by the time Chipper was 7, they were watching games together, imitating the teams player-by-player. He said that this “laid the foundation for his whole career”. I used to wonder why kids often end up doing just what their parents did…I don’t anymore. When it’s in your blood, it’s in your blood. Its the same thing for your digital marketing. Don’t put the guy who doesn’t use social as the head of your social team. It seems like common sense but I would bet that right now someone that doesn’t belong is riding the bench on your social media team cause they don’t understand what a ‘like’ is. Trust me, we see it everyday. Get a team together that has it in their blood. There will no longer be a generation that doesn’t know computers. Hire them.

2. PICK YOUR BATTLES: Chipper began hitting left-handed competitively during high school summer ball. This was the time to focus on personal development. This was the time to get better. He says, “My coaches respected my goals and knew helping me become an elite switch hitter would endear me to scouts”. Ok, so let’s replace coaches with bosses and scouts with customers. Pick your battles to ensure that their outcomes make you better. Show your customers that you aren’t afraid to take risks and it will pay off. You don’t have to win them all, just most of them.

3. A COACH CAN BE YOUR BEST FRIEND: One of Chipper’s coaches in the minors gave him some advice when he said, “Swing twice as much from my weak side as I do from my strong side.” So he would do 100 from the left and 50 from the right. He credits that advice with helping him set a foundation for hitting in the bigs. Never dismiss advice from anyone. You never know where your next content idea might come from. Leverage all your experiences to mold a unique perspective and they will come…they will read…they will buy.

4. BUT NO ONE IS PERFECT: In his first year in the minors, 1990, he was hitting about .300 from the right and .180 from the left. He told his manager he was going to stop switch hitting in games but the coach continued to have him work in practice. They wanted him to stick with it and didn’t care about the numbers. A year later in Class-A, everything clicked and he was hitting consistently from both sides. I love this story because looking ahead is the hardest thing to do when you are in build mold. Trust in your abilities by being consistent with your practice. I think that is the lesson here….if your brand is true then consistency will win. Don’t worry about the numbers so much, worry about the consistency. Get that email out when you said you would, answer your tweets, and create content everyday.

5. TWO SWINGS? DOUBLE THE WORK:  ”Switch hitters have to work harder, which often gets overlooked. When I was younger, I’m sure people thought I was showing off because I would hit from my weak side in low pressure situations. But that helped me develop. Now I feel like a natural left-handed hitter” So what does this mean for us? It means work harder. People ask us how do you get a good email program up and running or how can we get Facebook to help our brand? The simple answer is hard work and not being afraid to fail. Getting your hands dirty and actually creating something instead of just planning is the key. Don’t worry about what people will think…just worry about what your customer will think.

6. WE’RE A RARE BREED: “I think every hitter would rather face certain pitchers form the other side of the plate. If a left handed hitter is facing Randy Johnson, he would rather face Johnson on the right side. I’ve had a 100 hitter say to me “why didn’t my dad make me a switch hitter?” I think if we were all good at everything we would all be the same right? So, there has to be those that can and those that can’t. Be on the side that can.

The key take aways….don’t be afraid….take advice….work hard…have a smart dad that teaches you stuff.

In honor of everything the game of baseball has taught me over the years, thanks for killing it Macklemore:

---

_chris masagatani is the Business Development Director at eROI.