It’s great to learn internet marketing strategies, and it’s wonderful to create a game plan for outscoring the competition. But when it comes to actually scoring some runs, you have to get off first base and head for second. That’s the time to test your faith.
How To Get To First Base
You can’t score unless you get to first base. Swing the bat, get a walk, even bunt… but get to first base! You’ll never get around the bases until you get out of the batter’s box and become a base runner.
This requires a definite skill set. You must know how to get the bat on the ball, or at least, avoid the pitfall of swinging at bad pitches. “A walk is as good as a hit!”.
Apply your marketing skills and get yourself on base.
How To Get To Second Base
Now that you’re on base, the fun begins.
You lead off first, always looking at the pitcher’s feet. If his feet shift toward first, you’ve got to get back fast or you’re out.
You take one step… then another… carefully, cautiously, maybe even nervously.
The pitcher gazes in at the batter, then suddenly turns and throws the ball to first base. What do you do now? You think you could get safely back to first.
But your gut tells you to take off for second. You know you’ll never score if you don’t advance along the base paths. But when? Now? Is it really the right time?
A Matter Of Faith
You may get back to first base safely. But that won’t get you to second.
Do you have faith that you’re marketing plan will get you to second? Will you beat the throw to second? Can you slide under the tag? Are you finally willing to take that chance and put your faith in your ability to succeed?
If you get thrown out, you walk back to the dugout. You hang your head. You know things didn’t work out. You failed!
But you also know that before long, you’ll be back in the batter’s box and swinging away again, seeking the next opportunity to circle the bases and score.
So why not now?
If it’s because you really don’t have faith in your marketing plan, maybe it’s time to create a new plan.
If it’s because you really don’t have faith in your self, then maybe it’s time to stop thinking about marketing at all, until you’ve you find your own internal center.
Whatever the case, this might be just the right time for you to stop for just a moment… just long enough to test your faith in your internet marketing strategies. If you are convinced they are sound, why not take off for second base? If you lack that faith, return to first, but just long enough to develop some strategies you do have faith in.
Do you have faith in your internet marketing strategies? I’d love to hear your comments! If you’d like to challenge your friends to test their faith in their internet marketing strategies, please retweet this post, and share it on your Facebook wall as well.
David,
Love the analogy of life and baseball here! Your perspective has given me food for thought in my business. Time to see where the play will take me! And yes, Faith is huge for any success in any aspect of your life!
Cool post!
Val
.-= Val Wilcox´s last blog ..Accept No Limitations =-.
I hope you score big, Val! I’m sure your faith will give you the support you need.
Right now, I’m running for second. Maybe I should know what the pitcher’s doing, but I haven’t got time for it. But I agree that ever so often, it’s good to stop and evaluate where I am, and whether anything may be holding me back. Enjoyed the analogy, even though I have SDS (sports-deficient syndrome).
.-= Richard Goutal´s last blog ..Why Do So Many Not “Get” Attraction Marketing =-.
Keep running, Richard.
If you get thrown out at 2nd, you’ll get to bat again. So don’t look back, just keep running!
Love the baseball metaphor. Yes, you have to let go the security of home base, first base etc. to go for the gold. The only way to fly is to jump.
Every once and while evaluation is important. Assessing where we are and where we are committed to go and what we are willing to do to get there.
Faith
.-= Faith Barnard´s last blog ..Meditation is Easier Than You May Think =-.
You’re on the right path, Faith.
Gotta jump if you want to fly. Assess, yes. But not to the point where you never take off.
Thanks for visiting.
Great analogy, David…
The Boys of Summer, and the BIG Hitter. It seems that most people are looking for that “bases-loaded” Grand Slam before they even take a couple of practice swings.
There is nothing wrong with that thinking… if you are prepared, mentally… should you not get that Big Hit. But here, you’ve given a more realistic scenario…. learn to walk , before you run. Before you know it… you’ll be rounding 3rd at a full tilt… headed for home!
.-= Chris McCargar´s last blog ..Simple And Effective Productivity Tips =-.
Sliding in head first, no doubt!
Don’t worry about the Big Hit, for sure. A few walks, a bunt and a sacrifice fly can get a run in without even a single hit!
Just put your head down and full steam ahead, Chris.
.-= David Merrill´s last blog ..Test Your Faith In Your Internet Marketing Strategies =-.
Hey David,
I never had anyone use the annalogy of baseball to explain the inner woorkings of Internet Marketing. You did a very good job in connecting the two.
Keep those posts coming.
~ Tim
.-= Tim Colletti´s last blog ..Facebook Tip – Organizing Your Facebook Friends =-.
Good to see you out here, Tim.
Whatever analogy you come up with, it all adds up to aggressive base running and taking a few calculated risks along the line will give you a great shot at crossing home plate.
.-= David Merrill´s last blog ..Test Your Faith In Your Internet Marketing Strategies =-.
Great analogy David. Loved your line: “If it’s because you really don’t have faith in your self, then maybe it’s time to stop thinking about marketing at all, until you’ve you find your own internal center.” BA BOOM! THis is the reason I have faith in my internet strategies! I do know my internal center and although sometimes the campaigns don’t rain Gold.. they always take me one step closer to my goals!! Best, Lisa
.-= Lisa Molina´s last blog ..Is Everyone in Your Environment Worthy of Your Company =-.
So glad you’ve got it going in the right direction, Lisa.
Some things work, some don’t. As long as YOU work, nothing else really matters that much.
.-= David Merrill´s last blog ..Test Your Faith In Your Internet Marketing Strategies =-.
Hey David interesting post. Internet marketing is a bit like baseball. You can’t learn unless you try? The only way to have faith in your plan is to keep trying to steal second until you figure out what to do? In this analogy faith comes form doing and learning from our result, be it good or bad. My internal center is Jesus Christ.
.-= Douglas Richardson´s last blog ..You Know More Than You Realize =-.
Thanks for the comment, Doug.
You have to have faith in your strategy, but that requires having faith in yourself, which ultimately requires a larger faith in your purpose in life. The larger faith is what pulls us through when everything else fails.
Hold fast to your faith. Without it is nothing.
And you just hit a home run with this one, David! The baseball analogy is so fitting, like the ball player – a marketer’s success depends on his belief in his ability and the tools that he’s working with. Belief and faith is huge to anything that we want to do. Thanks for bringing that point home.
Dena
Dena, I couldn’t help but wonder if “bringing that point home” was a pun?
Keep up the hard work, but mostly the faith, Dena. It all works out when you refuse to fall back.
Hi David,
Faith- that is such an important word. I agree with you that often it is not a lack of marketing skills but faith in one’s ability to be successful that holds people back.
Personal development, working on oneself should be given the same if not more attention than marketing skills to get great results in our lives.
.-= Deirdre Rutherford´s last blog ..7 Core Traits Of A Successful Entrepreneur =-.
I completely agree with you, Deirdre, that personal development skills are equally important to marketing skills.
But it’s just so hard to put time into something that we don’t see immediate tangible results from. 10 minutes of meditating is really great, but 10 minutes of putting together an email to a prospect FEELS like we accomplished something.
That’s why it’s so great to have leaders like you keeping us focused on our inner strength that comes from faith. That’s where we really win the game.
Thanks Deirdre.
Hi David,
Excellent metaphor, I always enjoy reading your posts!
For everything in live we need to find our internal center, if we don’t trust ourselves we can not accomplish anything.
Believing in ourselves, One step at a time.
Best wishes
Raisa
.-= Raisa Garrido´s last blog ..Backlinks Mitos y Realidad =-.
This is a great analogy David! I used to play Softball (a girl’s game:-) so I can relate to this well! I agree, having faith in your plan is huge.
.-= Julieanne van Zyl´s last blog ..Social Network Marketing with Bookmarking =-.
Great post, David! This is a great analogy. It really is amazing how much baseball teaches us in life. I think that something else that is vital in understanding when to move from first to second base (or to try to stretch a single into a double) is timing. If the timing isn’t right, all of the skill in the world won’t help. If the timing is right, it makes that extra step that get you there just a little bit faster in a way that could be the difference between making it and getting caught on the base path.
You’re right, Steve.
Timing is everything.
I’ve had many students that had all the tools and success paths in place, but they just were not coordinating them properly. The only problem was that the coordination and timing were off.
Internet marketing is a well-oiled machine. And you have to work at making it work like the great income-producing machine that it can be.