Podcast

Mike was one of my college teammates and have seen this play out over the past seven years within business. I know you’ll enjoy his perspective.

Go to iTunes, Google Play, Spotify or click below to listen to Episode 4.

When I first started my business to business sales career in 2007 with AT&T, the struggle was real!

In an 18 month span, I went from being a single, minor league baseball player who only really cared about his batting average to becoming a husband and a father with a corporate sales job, a monthly quota and a mortgage.

Oh and by the way my wife’s father and two brothers happened to be WWE wrestlers Dusty Rhodes, Goldust & Cody Rhodes…no pressure right.

To put it lightly, the transition from baseball to professional selling was anything but smooth. I dealt with major identity issues, new financial responsibilities and a whole new world in corporate America.

On one hand I was certainly proud of my baseball career which included winning the AAU 16 year old junior Olympics with East Cobb Astros, a national championship with Lassiter High School, an All-American senior season at Kennesaw State and a 24^th round draft pick selection by the Seattle Mariners.

On the other hand I had no idea how to properly leverage that background.

Should I bring up my baseball career? Should I not bring it up at all and “close the yearbook”? Do these people think I’m a just a dumb jock? Am I good enough?  Am I smart enough to understand business? These are the types of questions that kept popping up in my head during before, during and after sales calls.

Unfortunately, I came to the initial conclusion that it was best to distance myself from my baseball background and keep everything strictly “professional”.

As a result, I became almost robotic in nature and tried so hard to fit into the business world. Needless to say, that was the wrong approach. I wasn’t connecting with my customers, wasn’t providing value to my colleagues, wasn’t hitting my monthly sales quotas and was miserable.

Thankfully, with the help of an incredible support system, I took a deep breath and realized there was a better way to approach sales, business, and life.  My family and friends encouraged me to leverage my background and not bury it.

Instead of shying away of my baseball past, they encouraged me to lean into the lessons it taught me. They told me the insights and experience I gained while playing baseball made me a unique and valuable asset to any organization.

Looking back, I’m so thankful for their advice because once I started tapping into the lessons baseball taught me and let my true personality shine through, I started to thrive. I realized it was possible to be “professional” and still have a personality. I realized baseball truly prepared me for corporate America, especially business to business sales.

Now with more than a decade worth of experience and success, I’m excited to share five insights which have helped me the most in my professional selling career.

1. Passion

Baseball is such a grind especially as you get older and are playing AAU, college and pros. You are at the ball field every day with minimal time off. If you don’t truly have passion for the game, you will eventually burn out and come to resent it. The same can be said in the professional selling world which is also a grind.

If you are not passionate about your company, your products and services, your customers and your ability to help solve real business issues and provide value, you will quickly burn out. It’s so important to find a company who offers products and services you believe in and work with clients you respect.

2. Irrational Confidence

I stole this term from Bill Simmons but I absolutely love it. In baseball as a hitter, you are going to fail and fail often.

When you get to a certain level, everyone has talent. What separates the good from the great and the great from the elite, is the mental game – the ability to wipe away failure immediately.

Let’s say you are in a slump and are 1 for your last 20. You have been trying and failing. The key is to walking up to the plate with confidence you are going to get a hit regardless of what happened last time.

The same concept can be said within sales. You have to have 100% confidence in yourself and your solutions even when you have been striking out. What helps breed confidence?  Proper preparation. This leads into my next point.

3. Hard work in the form of routine/consistent deposits of time

Anyone can work hard some of the time. Those who seem to be most successful have the ability to follow a formula or structure that works for them on a daily basis.

In baseball, every morning when I woke up, I knew what my day would be like because every minute was laid out for me on paper. I had a routine that allowed me to fine tune the skills needed to be successful.

In sales, if you can structure your calendar in a fashion that promotes consistency you will be set up for success.

4. Positivity

Again it’s all about the mental game and positivity certainly ties into passion and confidence. When I think of positivity, I think of how you carry yourself on a daily basis. Positivity has to be a way of life.

Are you choosing to believe that great things are going to happen? Are you willing to look at setbacks through the lens of learning opportunities and way to get better?

Personally, my Christian faith plays a big role in this area. People are drawn to positive people and on the flip side, negativity rarely adds value.

5. Fun

Loosen up! It seems silly but the more fun I had playing baseball, the better I performed. The same can be said with my sales career.

Baseball is not life and death. Sales is not life or death – loosen up and enjoy yourself. I like to try to have as much fun as possible with my internal colleagues and externally with my clients. This ties back to letting your authentic personality shine through.

So the next time you look in the mirror, I’d encourage you to ask yourself a few questions:

Do I have passion?
Am I confident in myself and my company?
Does my calendar show structure?
Am I a positive person?
Do people want to be around me?
And finally am I having fun?

If you answer yes to these questions, odds are the success, the money and the opportunities for career advancement will take care of itself.  If you answer no, it’s time.

About two years ago I came across an energetic young lad with an inspiring personal story and a shared affinity for baseball.

Luke and I have since been able to discuss at length different ways to help players leverage the skills learned through the game to succeed in business and entrepreneurship.

I love the platform he’s created that connects guys and shares information on the often turbulent process of transitioning out of the game. When we met, I had just started an MBA program and a job with the Angels, and Luke asked me how the process was so easy for me. I was about seven months removed from my last at bat, back in a classroom for the first time in 14 years and feeling quite out of place. I was far from having it figured out, and two years later it’s still a work in progress.

A little older and a slightly wiser, here are a few of my observations about the whole process and how to harness those skills and lessons from baseball and use them as a springboard to success in the next venture.

#1 Make peace with your exit from the game

One question it seems we all run into is, “When did you decide to retire?”

I have a litany of responses depending on my audience, all with the common theme of “When teams stopped offering me jobs.”

Very few players leave the game they want to, regardless of how much time they got in. I’ve seen it vary from feeling like you still have something left to give, to some being institutionalized and scared of living on the outside.

Each journey is unique, but the game washes its hands with everyone at a certain point, we all know it and shouldn’t be surprised. Yes, it can be impersonal the way it’s done, but as was noted in the Godfather II, “This was the business we’ve chosen”. It’s extremely important to find some closure and not let how it ended control or delay your future. That ‘peace’ will make you grateful and humbled that you were one of the chosen few that got to wear a professional uniform, whether that be in A ball or the Major Leagues. It has prepared you for the next phase of your life in ways you haven’t even discovered yet.

Spend your time on the multitude of positives which far outweigh how it ended. We were blessed to be given the opportunity so many could only dream of.

#2 Network while you’re still playing and network the right way

Many of us were taught that anything but 100% focus on baseball would compromise or inhibit your ability to reach your full potential. I didn’t realize the power of building a strong network until the last couple of years of my career. One of the things I try to advise current players is to build and foster relationships while you are still playing. You can use the tools and resources at your disposal to connect with new people without creating too many distractions. Players should leverage their travel and social media influence to make introductions with people that align with their business interests.

A second part of building a strong network is approaching it the right way. The biggest mistake people make is looking solely for how they can benefit from a new connection. Networking is essentially building relationships and it needs to be reciprocal and authentic.

Even if the relationship is purely transactional, find a way you benefit or help the other party. It may not be something you can do for that person, but maybe you know someone in their field that could provide better insight.

I’ve been fortunate to consult with Ryan Howard’s sport tech VC firm, SeventySix Capital. Founder and Partner, Wayne Kimmel, has mastered the art and built as extensive a network as I’ve ever seen. He develops genuine relationships with people and knows the names of spouses and kids of everyone he does business with. He also goes out of his way to help people in his network without needing something in return. Allocate a good amount of time and energy to build and maintain relationships as they are everything in business.

#3 Realize it’s a new chapter, not a new book

People in your orbit will constantly use the clichés, “turn the page” or “time for a new chapter”. Those are correct but not in the context they are often used.

Both presuppose the information from the previous chapters is not relevant to the rest of the story but it is. However you need to understand how to harness and mold the previous experience in a way that helps you bring value to a new company or venture.

This concept is also highly relevant to guys who struggle with having an identity tied to being a baseball player. We were successful players because of our discipline, resilience, drive, and ability to quickly make adjustments. That’s not an identity just a brand people should know you by and is HIGHLY transferable and valued in the marketplace.

Obviously you will need to continue to learn and gain experience in a new field, but don’t sell yourself short and think you’re farther behind than you actually are. People that are accountable, resilient, and can perform under pressure are worth more than the apathetic employee from the Ivy league school. That mindset and competitive edge shouldn’t retire.

#4 Stay in shape

Is this the most important thing to a successful career transition? No…but it will have several benefits aside from the obvious. First, in terms of branding, people who know you were a professional player or college athlete will assume you possess discipline and a strong work ethic.

If their first impression is of someone 25 pounds overweight, you lose the benefit of the doubt with those intangibles which could have separated you in a highly competitive environment.

Additionally, in your new day to day reality, where things may seem disorganized and chaotic, the discipline to your fitness will bleed into everything else. I played for Joe Maddon in Tampa Bay and his one rule was to run hard to first base. It later more famously became Respect 90. He believed that running hard down the line would permeate the rest of your game. Being faithful to a workout regimen is also the most natural thing we are used to. It is a connection to the past that feels normal. It also clearly is the best stress reliever and rejuvenator you will have.

A short essay really seemed to escalate on me. I will continue with my last three points tomorrow. Please feel free to reach out as I love opening dialogue, talking ideas, and hearing from other people with similar stories. Connect with me on LinkedIn, on Twitter @BrendanHarris23 and Instagram @b.harris_23.

Part 2

#5 Make a roadmap

One of the biggest frustrations we run into is the lack of a clarity or linearity in the path to success in a new venture. Since high school, it’s been very simple and straightforward; you play well, you get to play in college. Further success brings a draft selection, promotions through the minors, and ultimately the Major Leagues. That will NOT be the case in business, and the quicker you accept that the path isn’t necessarily clear, you’ll save yourself a ton of frustration.

That being said, even if you aren’t sure where to start, create a roadmap or loose framework of deliverables that you can focus on. Make progress each week, but maintain flexibility. Take meetings, jump on a call, grab coffee, you never know where it will lead.

We’ve been creatures of habit and obsessive about our routines for many years now. Do your best to apply that to business. Routines provide structure and familiarity, increase efficiency and help you to build momentum and confidence. Flexibility will also be extremely important. Accept that the path will be anything but a straight line.

#6 Stay confident and keep growing

The confidence and edge that you played with will be a difference maker for you in business and entrepreneurship. Preparation will be key, but it’s also important to maintain a little bit of that calculated crazy, take chances, and continue to embrace the arena. The marketplace is littered with people that do just enough to keep their job, and never put themselves out there. People with energy and competitive drive are infectious, be willing to go above and beyond. You will be surprised when you see people with more experience unable to do things you take for granted; work productively on a team, take criticism and still perform, overcome the slightest adversity, or be willing to operate outside their area of expertise.

Additionally, don’t let others set expectations or put labels on you that limit your potential. You are in control of this process and don’t hesitate to think big. Part of this transition is continuing to learn and grow, and find how you can add value to a company. Build your brand as someone that is dependable and is the go to guy on a particular issue or problem. There will be plenty of obstacles and a steep learning curve in some areas, but don’t doubt yourself or hesitate to ask questions. I had a finance professor once tell my class that even if you think something is a dumb question, 10 other people are also sitting there debating whether to raise their hand. And what is the alternative, not learn?

#7 Find balance

We’ve experienced the mental and physical grind of a long season. That was palatable because there was a definitive end date and an off season to recover. With no off season, it’s vital to balance short and long term goals, and not overwhelm yourself. Craft your plan and try to make progress each week. There will be setbacks, but we’ve spent years being conditioned to bounce back after something doesn’t go our way.

One thing we were told ad nauseum was to worry about what you can control. No self-inflicted wounds of frustration are going to make the process any easier. Do things with a purpose and have a sense of urgency but make sure you maintain a healthy perspective and have a good deal of patience.

This year marks the 13th anniversary of my being released from professional baseball.

I grinded hard in the minor leagues for seven years with the Braves and Mariners. I had a meager career batting an average of .240 and it didn’t help that I had some terrible seasons in 2003 and 2004 either.

I failed a lot during those years, struggling with self-confidence because I cared too much about my outcomes. Baseball can be a cruel game when you’re dealing more with failure than actual success.

Recently, the Wall Street Journal published an article, “What You Can Learn From MLB’s Mental-Skills Coaches,” highlighting how baseball teams have hired sports psychologists or mental-skills coaches to help players keep their minds free of distractions and positive-thinking while on the field. The article claims that these same mental skills can be applied in a business setting to stay happy and connected to your career.

I could not agree more.

After hanging up my bat, I turned to the world of commercial real estate where I’ve advised hundreds of clients on office lease transactions at CBRE for the past 13 years.

The WSJ article triggered something in me and I wanted to share the lessons l learned during my time in baseball that have helped propel my success in CRE.

Here’s what I’ve learned since leaving the field:

1. Focus on positive at bats

The best hitters get a hit 3 out of every 10 at-bats and fail the other 7 at-bats. That can be depressing. You can do everything exactly right, yet the outfielder might make a diving catch and rob you of a hit. You cannot control the outfielder, but you can control yourself and your feelings. If you change your focus on the process rather than the outcome, it can be liberating. Now, as a corporate real estate advisor, I might lose out on a deal because someone thinks it’s not business savvy or they may decide to go in a different direction. I cannot control that, but what I can control is how I bounce back for the next deal and continue to learn from those outcomes. Focus on the process and success will follow. There will always be more at-bats.

2. Care but not too much  

I used to put so much pressure on myself to perform well that it got in the way of performing. They call that “paralysis by analysis.” The right mental-skill approach can allow your brain to free up and let your body naturally execute the skill. This balances an internal self-pressure with a relaxed attitude. A career in sales can be dealt with the same way. Care just enough so that you are motivated to get the most of your performance, but don’t overthink it. Be prepared and perfect your craft, but also let your natural personality come through. Trust that your preparation is enough, and then just let it go. Find joy in the process.

3. Work hard, yet work smart

Avoid practicing bad habits at work so they don’t become ingrained into your game and eventually rob you of your goals. Remember to work efficiently so you get the most out of your effort.

To connect with Bryce on LinkedIn, click here.