Take me out to the ballgame | Travel Research Online

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Take me out to the ballgame

One  Sunday not long ago, Barbara and I picked up our son, Brian and headed for the stadium. Baseball was the game and the Marlins were hosting the Mets.

Watching a baseball game brings back so many memories for me. It is true that “the older I get, the better I was,” but I dare say that in my day I knew more than a little about the game.

But enough baseball, you came here to learn about how to improve your travel business.

The Mets lost thanks to two unearned runs courtesy of a poorly executed catch of a fly ball to left. It was another textbook example of why God gave us two hands–to catch fly balls.

Somewhere along the way ballplayers decided that in order to protect their manicure on their throwing hand, it would behoove them to snag air balls with the glove hand only. “Look at me Ma! One hand!”

The Mets’ left fielder apparently endorsed the same philosophy and came up empty. He was responsible for losing the game, and feeling pretty stupid along the way. The bonus was that left field has no place to hide.

In business as in baseball, there is a “right” way and there is the “popular” way. You can bet your bottom dollar that today’s young players can defend their one-handed catches. You can double that amount in betting that we “fossils” can justify the two-handed approach.

This often boils down to a simple debate between popular vs. fundamental. I can almost hear some feisty old major-leaguer scolding the Mets’ left fielder telling him to take his “popular” and shove it up his….

Okay. Here’s where I make a few enemies. In business, “popular” can sometimes be equated to “easy” or “fast”– the way that takes the least amount of effort. Does “Twitter” ring a bell? (Hey! I’m just saying …)

Fundamental is sometimes equated to “hard” or “longer”–getting your face in front of people. Do presentations, phone calls and face-to-face meetings strike a nerve?

Million dollar ballplayers will continue to catch fly balls with one hand with or without my blessings. Marketers will still opt for the easy way out while continuing to blame the economy for their problems.

The world will continue to spin and travel will continue to be sold despite my messages.

But that weekend, the Mets would have won if the left fielder would have played the ball “my way.”

Have a great week. Remember, if you can — it is all about fundamentals.

Mike Marchev is a non-linear thinker who makes his living shooting from the  hip. Check out his new collaborative project titled The Travel Agent Success Series www.travelagentsuccessseries.com

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