There’s baseball talk ahead, but come with me, because there are revenue growth lessons in it.

 Last night, my Chicago Cubs played their game of the year so far. Down 6-0, they chipped away, tied it in the ninth inning, and won on a wild play in the 12th inning. During the game, our manager, Joe Maddon, played a relief pitcher in left field, where he made a spectacular catch while crashing into the wall. By playing him in the outfield for an inning, Maddon was able to use this pitcher twice in the same game: in the sixth inning, where he got out of a bases-loaded jam, and in the eighth inning, but not in the seventh.

 The final play of the game was a stunner. Out of position players and relief pitchers to use, Madden sent up a starting pitcher to pinch hit. With a man on third, he laid down a perfect bunt in a safety squeeze play as the man from third base scored to win the game in wild fashion. After the game, Maddon said that if our runner had been on second base, he would have pinch-hit with a different pitcher, but this pitcher was perfect for this moment, because he was the best at bunting.

 Today, the news is calling the manager a genius. A mad genius.

I just think he was really well prepared — deeply prepared — and then he executed.

He knew which pitcher could play in the outfield. He knew which pitcher was his best bunter, and which was the best hitter, and he used them accordingly.

We must be prepared for all outcomes.

 What will you do when the customer says no? Will you give up, or will you try again, in a different way?How will you try again?

 How will you reply if the customer says it’s too expensive? What do you say if the customer asks you to lower your price?

 The customer has a good referral for you, but can’t seem to get around to making the introduction. What do you do?

 You’re ahead of quota, how do you push the gas down so that the overage carries you through next month too?

 Your behind plan. How do you make up the difference? What are the three fastest, easiest ways you have to grow business now?

 What will you say the next time a customer says “I didn’t know you did that!”?

 We can live with losing the business if we are prepared and do our best. But there’s really no excuse for losing the business because we are unprepared.