Cactus League RPO

  

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Recently, Elliot, my son, and I went to Baseball Spring Training in Arizona. Spring training in Arizona is referred to the as the Cactus League while preseason baseball played in Florida is called the Grapefruit League. These have been nicknamed respectively after plants typical of the respective states.

Our father/son vacation was a fabulous 5 day trip that included 4 stadiums (Goodyear, Maryvale, Peoria and Phoenix Municipal) and 8 different teams (Angels, Athletics, Brewers, Indians, Mariners, Padres, Rangers and Reds). We also managed to get in 1 round of mini-golf and a couple of loops around the Lazy River at the Squaw Peak Hilton.

While this was an almost work free vacation, I naturally couldn’t help myself when it came to seeing the similarities between our Cactus League excursion and Recruitment Process Outsourcing. 

So, here are my 5 top reasons why Cactus League Baseball reminds me of Recruitment Process Outsourcing at Pinstripe:

1. Process Efficiency – Our hotel was 15 to 20 minutes from 5 different stadiums and it seemed that every facility was just off the I10 freeway. The proximity and simple logistics facilitated more baseball and less down time. Our cycle time between games was significantly improved.
2. Greater Reliability – The Brewers have only been rained out 3 times in 8 years in Arizona. The weather is predictably going to be great. Even when it cools down to 60 degrees, it is still tremendous for Midwestern fans who are just exiting from their winter hibernation. Knowing things are going to work out definitely reduces stress and makes for a better experience.
3. Access to Talent – Cactus League baseball gives the fans a chance to interact with the players. At almost every facility, we able to get right by the major leaguers while they were practicing. We were also able to engage in conversation with them and get numerous autographs. Elliot favorite connection was with Norichika Aoki, the Brewers new outfielder from Japan. Regular season baseball keeps the fans at a distant while the Cactus league is all about access and, ultimately, building customer loyalty.
4. Greater Return on Investment (ROI) – Some of the best seats are lawn seating in the outfield. Most stadiums have a grassy slope just beyond the outfield fences and these tickets are only $8.00. $8.00 for a major league game is outstanding. And, almost equally important, we used frequent flyer and hotels points for our airfare and lodging. I probably spent as much going to 4 Spring Training games as 1 regular season Major League game. To me that’s a 4X improvement in ROI!   
5. Focus on Core Competencies – Our main reasons for going to Arizona was to watch baseball, have fun and just hang out together. The Cactus League is designed to maximize the fan experience and give families an opportunity to be together and enjoy each other. And the baseball is really good too.

So whether you passion is baseball or RPO, I would recommend a Cactus League vacation for the sun, the activities and the almost uninterrupted family time. 

Post contributed by Barry Diamond. Follow me on Twitter @bddiamond