Here I go again with yet another sports analogy, but hey you have to go with your strengths, right? As we approach the halfway point of the Major League Baseball season, we have already witnessed five no-hitters before June 17, including two perfect games (no opposing player  reaches base at all) and one history-making, first no-hitter in the 50 year history of the New York Mets franchise. The last time five no-hitters were pitched this early in the season was in 1917!

For those of you who read my blogs regularly, you know what a big sports fan I am, especially about baseball. And as a big fan, there is nothing like the sixth to ninth inning of game where a hit has yet to be given up by one or sometimes both pitchers. You can live and die on every pitch, every ground ball or every deep fly ball. Even if it’s not your team involved, you know the exhilaration that comes with the accomplishment and the disappointment that comes when that first batter reaches on a hit.

For those of you that have had the pleasure of witnessing a no-hitter you know that once you pass the sixth inning mark how level of defensive play almost becomes super-human. Even the most mediocre of players or the newest of rookies brings their “A-game.” Every no-hitter highlight reel is not just full of strikeouts and routine plays, but you will see a player sacrifice a shoulder crashing into a fence or a knee sliding for an impossible catch.  On any other day these players may not make the catch but on this day they do. Those nine men on the field play as one.

What would happen if we all approached our jobs like we were on the field from the sixth inning on in a no-hitter? What if we, as both agency and client, planned and executed every campaign as if we were heading into the record books?  What does it take for that contagious spark to have everyone playing just a little above their head?

Every athlete wants to be part of history, but in the everyday work world, that doesn’t happen much.  Your motivation has to come from realistic goals/rewards. The achievement of these goals should mark a milestone of success that each and every team member can look to as a sense of pride and contribute to the win or, in this case, a successful campaign.

From the client side, you ask for your call center to be operating at peak efficiency. How many rings before the phones are answered? What percentage of calls are closing sales? What is the percentage of calls up-selling product?  Set daily goals, weekly goals, team goals or individual goals that keep everyone in the game. It’s just like when MLB added the second Wild Card team in each league. Because of this, teams that are normally out of the running in July have a legitimate shot at still being in it the playoff race until September. Oops here I go again! But I’m right, players are more motivated and fans are definitely more motivated.

On the agency side, your goal is to keep the campaign going! Did you get the most efficient CPM? Are your spots airing in a fair rotation of prime time versus non-prime? Did you negotiate Phase Two media before Phase One is over? Do you have creative in the bank ready for a quick change if necessary? The agency side gets to play both sides. You not only have to bring you’re a-game to your own team but to the client team as well!

Let’s play ball!!!

Monica Caraffa is a Senior Account Manager at The Radio Agency. Please follow The Radio Agency’s Blog “Sounding Board” by subscribing to the email or RSS links above. Visit our website TheRadioAgency.com