Defense Wins in Baseball- Not Business

Bart Latimer Defense Wins in Baseball- Not Business
By: Bart Latimer

First, I want to go on record as believing defense does, in
fact, play a significant role in business. The protection
of both tangible and intangible assets through legal
maneuvers, insurance, safety measures, etc, is a necessary
form of “defense” every person running a business must plan
for and execute.

Now that you have a feel of what I consider to be “defense”
within an organization, how would you define the Sales and
Marketing arm of your company? Most people, without
hesitation, say, “Offense.” The aggregate gist of the
explanation is something like this- “After all, I advertise
in three different publications and send five Account
Executives throughout the territory daily, so I am confident
we get our share of the pie.” On the surface, the activity
I just described does sound like offense. But, is it? It
was offense when my Grandfather was selling. It was
considered offense when my Father was selling. To be
honest, as recently as when I began selling, the above
scenario was considered offense.

The key difference is that today’s markets are faster, more
competitive, and ever-changing. Sales and marketing
efforts can inadvertently and quickly turn into “defense”
due to a myriad of factors such as JIT inventory practices,
global competition, and geopolitical undercurrents. But,
above all, change is the predominant element which makes a
sales or marketing team play defense, rather than offense.

A Real Life Example of “Defensive Selling” Affecting an
Entire Industry

This story is industry-specific, but we all have a similar
story. Have you ever heard the term, “Paperless society?”
Beginning in the late 1990’s, commercial printing paper
mills began closing, consolidating, and doing everything
possible to stay afloat.

A group of people who for years prior had played offense,
putting huge numbers on the board, earning great money, and
having a certain degree of leverage with clients due to a
healthy, firm market were now playing defense. Not only
was the business itself in decline, but margins eroded,
morale suffered, and the rut seemed to get deeper by the
day. Sales conferences which were once motivational, fun,
and full of success stories began to feel like a funeral
for a much beloved industry. Under heavy fire, cries to
management all carried a universal theme- “Our customers
are suffering.”

Which company began making money again? The one that
decided they disliked the role of defense and changed
positions. In hindsight, the solution is almost too simple.
If the root problem was that customers were suffering,
then helping them should have been the first action taken.


Printers were fiercely battling non-print media such as the
Internet. Later, they were dealing with an anthrax scare
which all but snuffed out direct mail programs, which are
usually a large portion of their revenues. The mill that
decided they were tired of playing at the industry’s pace,
and that they were tired of letting mere circumstance run
their business did something about it. They went to media
buyers (their customer’s customers) and made presentations
on why print media is still superior in many applications.
They educated the public on the relatively insignificant
risk of anthrax due to heightened postal security. The
industry as a whole was, and still is shifting immensely,
but that same mill still stays ahead of the curve, and you
can rest assured they have the ear and loyalty of the
printing community.

How to Play Offense Again in Your Industry

*Always stay aware of your pace. Are you playing at your
own pace, or at the pace of others? Be the pacesetter-
that is what effective offenses do. Defense reacts to
situations while offense creates situations.

*Consistently ask yourself what you can do to better your
customer’s business. This mindset puts you in more control
of factors you have previously had little control over.
Don’t be satisfied by simply selling to them… sell with
them also. Pull a new piece of business through with them
that your defense-minded competitor will never know about.
Become an extension of their company, the mental impact
alone is immeasurable.

*Remember, the only difference between a great Sales
Professional and a great consultant is the quota. Focus on
delivering ideas to your customer. Follow up on them and
help implement when necessary. Again, their success is
your success if you help build it.

*No matter what the element of change, whether it is
internal, external, industry-wide, etc, do not become
victim- minded. Define problems and solve them. Victims
play defense, and they usually aren’t even any good at that.


*Lastly, and possibly most importantly, the best way to play
offense is by coaching offense. Your organization will
mirror your actions. The more offense-minded the coaching
staff is, the more offense the team will play.

I can’t tell you who will win the World Series this season.
However, I can assure you that any winning team in business
plays more offense than his competitor. If you want a more
printable and concise version of this story…

Proactive beats reactive every time.

About the Author

Bart Latimer is a management consultant in Atlanta, Georgia. After 11 years with a Fortune 100 company, he now uses his sales, sales management, and managerial finance experience to help other businesses improve their bottom lines.
www.bartlatimer.com