Strike 8, You're out!

How would baseball be different if it took eight strikes to strike out a batter? Would the game ever end? Maybe not. Think about it. It would be almost impossible to strike out a batter with eight strikes. Would the typical batting average be above .500? Would scores routinely be in the 20s or 30s, or even the 40s? Imagine the Dodgers beat the Yankees 42 to 38 in a nine-hour game. Talk about too much of a good thing! Who wants to sit through or play a nine-hour baseball game?

Fortunately for baseball fans, it only takes three strikes to send a player back to the dugout, resulting in an average game time of 2 hours and 36 minutes in 2024.

So, how does this relate to selling? Unfortunately, many salespeople adhere to the rule of “three strikes, and you are out” too literally.

The good news is that you get more than three strikes in selling. We should take full advantage of the additional swings.

We believe that in sales, you get eight strikes before you're out. Just as in baseball, imagine what the score might look like if you take all eight strikes. Just how inflated will the numbers get? However, we find that, on average, most salespeople call someone three times and then give up. Quitting after three attempts drastically reduces your chances of contacting or connecting with prospects. Research shows that you have about a 5% chance of engaging with a prospect, but after eight attempts, you have about an 80% chance of engaging with prospects. We have found that most salespeople give up too soon.