You Can’t Get a Double from a Bunt

That statement paints such a vivid picture for me; it’s true, you can’t. And as it relates to launching products it’s an important lesson. My experience at Leads360 and other startups is that there is a lot of pressure, internally and externally, to innovate and build the next big thing. We’re always looking for another product that can make a huge impact on sales, and quick. That’s an important piece of the puzzle of course, but it can cause you to have a lot of false starts. If you’re always two steps ahead of the current product you probably won’t have the time or resources to swing for the fences, especially as it relates to the fully go to market plan. Maybe you develop a great new product. You put in the time to design and develop it, but then your team starts to think about the next product before you’ve had a chance to really maximize what you just built. In other words, you hit a bunt. If you want to get a double, or a triple and even a home run, you need to swing for the fences. It’s the whole package, the concept, design, development, packaging, marketing, sales, training, on-boarding and support that really drives the value of a product.

That said, there may be a time when a bunt is just what you want. Sometimes you’re in a competitive situation where you just need to plug a hole to round your product out. You know it’s not a game changer, but if you don’t have this or that feature, you lose business. Remember, sales is largely about client perception. Getting a single or an RBI might be just the thing you need and a bunt can be just the thing sometimes.

Like anything, start with questions. Ask the questions “what is the goal here”? Understanding what your trying to achieve with a particular product or initiative can help you determine if you should be attempting a bunt or swinging for the fences.