Many people find baseball to be a dull way to spend 3 hours, arguing the players stand around in the same spot 90% of the time and the ball going into play one in every 4 or 5 pitches. What the average fan doesn’t realize is the research and analytics that go into each pitch. There is a chess match going on between the man on the mound and the man in the batter’s box. Even guys throwing 99+ MPH can’t just heave a meatball down the gut every pitch. Hitters are too skilled at their craft.

Pitch tipping refers to what a pitcher does before throwing a certain pitch. Before a fastball, does the pitcher play with his glove before beginning the windup? Does the pitcher’s elbow or glove point a certain direction before throwing offspeed? Professional hitters spend hours of time in the offseason and before games analyzing these habits, or “tips,”  pitchers give before throwing each pitch. Likewise, pitchers who are true professionals will watch the film of themselves seeing if they can pick out and fix any information they are giving away to their competitors.

Similar to business, the customer can be compared to a pitcher. Customers have their online data and “private” information being collected. If you Google “vacuum reviews” you’ll shortly see a plethora of ads littering your web browser for different brands of vacuums. As a business, you can use these “tips” to strategize how to take a swing at new customers and clients. You need to be a knowledgeable hitter and be prepared to swing at all pitches. You need to have the skills to help solve your customer’s needs and wants. They want to find the best option and if you can’t hit their meatball then you might not be a good fit. 

Your competitors are also picking up on the customer’s “tips.” Knowing the market landscape by doing research will help you position yourself to swing at the pitches you know you can hit the best. Every customer pitches something different and every batter has a pitch type and location they can meet just right.

At Howenstine Designs, we kick off every project with a discovery phase where we find out what kind of hitter you are (your Brand Attributes), what kind of pitches to expect (Customer profiles), and who else is competing for your spot in the batting order (Competitor landscape/Positioning). Contact us to find out more about this process.