Tim Lincecum has been one of the most dominating pitchers in MLB since being called up in 2007. In 2008 and 2009, his first two full seasons, he won the Cy Young award, being the first pitcher to achieve that feat in MLB history. Players, coaches, and the industry overall lauded his ability and performance. But what happened? The pitcher that has been in the top 10 voting for the Cy Young award over the last 4 years is entering the MLB All-Star break with a 6.96 ERA and a 3-10 record. This is hardly the record expected of a superstar caliber pitcher earning $18+ million a year. There is one reason for the lack luster performance: change or, really, lack of change. MLB hitters are constantly adapting to improve. Players watch videos and talk with coaches to uncover how to approach every pitcher they face. It is important for pitchers to change as well. If a pitcher fails to adapt the results can be cataclysmic. This is the case with Lincecum. Hitters have adapted to his pitches, style and delivery. They know he has had trouble with control on his fastball and his slider drops out of the zone. If hitters hold back, they will walk or force Lincecum to throw over the plate and players are attacking him. This is causing Tim to lose confidence in himself. This creates an endless loop where his lack of confidence lowers ability to pitch, hitters will then jump all over him and score, which continues to suppress his confidence. The road to recovery includes Lincecum reinventing himself, adapting and changing.
This concept, The Lincecum Effect, also applies to business: when a business fails to adapt and change competition will jump all over it. Change is inevitable. Sometimes it is obvious and expected, sometimes surprising, other times subtle, but to succeed, a business must be able to quickly address changes and adapt. I have worked with a client that, prior to working with, was a brick and mortar medical supply company. During the 90s they experienced incredibly growth and success. However, in the mid 2000s, changes in health care, mergers and acquisitions in the industry and a worldwide increase in Internet supply firms led to a drastic decline in sales. To accommodate the changes, the company created a strong web presence and mounted an aggressive digital marketing campaign that led to 600% YOY growth. With the recent struggles in the economy consumers are in search of value-based pricing. Even though the economy is slowly reversing the downward turn, several insight reports deduce that value-based pricing is a pattern that will not be changed any time soon. Our client was able to capitalize on this trend by reducing margins and selling products through their eCommerce store. For the company to avoid The Lincecum Effect they had to reinvent themselves.
We had another client that experienced The Lincecum Effect that led to the firm closing its doors. A startup wholesale door company was looking for growth. Riding the boom of the housing sector before the 2008-ish financial crisis, a strategically planned digital marketing campaign led to incredible 8 figure sales growth with a 64% ROMI. Unfortunately the firm failed to address the rapid changes in growth, matching changes in their infrastructure. There was no strong foundation for logistics and a supply chain and customer service failed.
Yogi Berra once said that baseball is 90% mental and the other half is physical. While the math is off, the meaning behind the statement is accurate. Lincecum must break free of the mental shackles that are preventing him from making the necessary changes to get out of his slump. The same is said for business. We must face the challenges and make the mental decision to adapt, including mapping out a game plan, creating strategic moves and laying out the execution to avoid The Lincecum Effect.
