Give a business a fish...

Here are a few statements I believe about fishing that also pertain to sales and marketing.

Don't pick a bait that YOU'D like to eat, pick what THEY'D like to eat.
Most small businesses decide on everything from their name and their logo to their website, ads and more based on what the businesses owner likes. You wouldn't bait your hook with a sirloin. Know what you're trying to catch. You'll have more success tailoring your efforts to what they like.

If there's a hole in your boat, put down the pole and do something about it.
Some businesses will fight to bring in prospective customers when there are more urgent things to work on. Rude or incompetent customer service? Inadequate product? These things could be sinking you. Fix the problems before you begin or resume fishing.

You have to get the fish into the boat before you can put it in the pan.
Taking things one step at a time will help you focus on the smaller, more manageable task at hand. Each fish needs to be caught before it can be cooked. Similarly, your customers don't care about your hours or your entire menu or even your name until you have them caught - convinced that they need to do business with you. Quit packing your ads with information that doesn't matter to them yet. Also take those details out of your sales presentations. After you catch them, they'll ask.

Season, time of day and weather all factor into your success.
Sometimes the fish just aren't biting, while other times, you can't take them off the line fast enough. Learn to recognize the patterns and plan your day accordingly.

If you catch a fish you don't want, let it go.
Not every fish is worth putting on the stringer. If you catch a fish that isn't worth keeping, throw it back. Not every customer is worth your time either. Some are an incredible drain on resources. Some are chronically unhappy and tell the world. Wouldn't you prefer your competition deal with all of that time-drain and negative word of mouth instead. You may think you need it; you don't.

While I might believe there are aspects of sales that are a lot like fishing, I do not believe that customers are fish. Just because you've caught them doesn't mean you'll be able to hold onto them. You need to take care of them. You need to keep on convincing them that they've made a good decision. And you should definitely not puncture their mouths with hooks (unless maybe you are in a very specific sort of business).

Happy fishing!  Visit http://www.vairenpoint.com for more information or to work with Vairenpoint Marketing.