Three Advertising Tactics I Learned from a Fisherman

I Caught 3 Suckers on a Single Line!

A popular campfire skit I remember as a Boy Scout was the “Telephone Line.” Back in the early days of telephone communication our devices had only one purpose and were hard-wired to each other. So the act goes something like this… A couple of kids stand 10 to 15 feet apart and are pretending to make a telephone call. Apparently the line is down and needs some support from unsuspecting victims in the audience to hold up the imaginary line, as high as they could hold it of course. Finally, the connection gets through to the other person and the conversation leads to his recent fishing trip.

“Hey Carl, You’ll never believe this, but I caught 3 suckers, on a single line today!”

Advertising and Fishing

As a business owner, I always look for methods of getting new clients. The last 10 years, I have been following the coaching and business success arena, and have learned a lot of things that are helpful in most everyone’s lives, particularly introverted people. But I have also noticed that some business and success coaches are a magnitude more successful at getting more clients into their programs. Then one day I met a fisherman. Not just a once a year type, but a “everyday if I could type.” Then I realized they were doing the same thing, luring their potential catch of the day. So here are a few points that we as introverted business solopreneurs can learn from the sport fishing experts:

Know what kind of fish you are fishing for.

Professional fishermen and women know their fish. I always like the breaded deep-fried version that you can get at the fast food store. Apparently they come in different varieties and live in different locations. By learning their habitat and behaviors, they know where to start looking for the best fish. Advertising calls these demographics, which includes several key elements which describe your clients.

Know where to find the fish.

Fish are a creature of habit. They like their shady spots, in the rivers and lakes. They might get scared off for a while but you can bet, they’ll be back. By-the-way, most humans have habits too. Especially electronic habits such as FaceBook, Instagram, YouTube and video games. Ever wonder why you see advertisements on these platforms?

Know when the fish are hungry and what the fish like best.

I seem to find myself constantly shopping at the grocery store while hungry, and typically I seem to overspend these times. It really is hard to resist the extra candy bar in the checkout line. Now they have mastered the luring process also known as sales psychology. Sales doesn’t have to be hard, people will buy what they want when they want it. Some people don’t know what they want, or haven’t experienced it. That’s where free samples come in. Create an experience that you can’t live without.

Time to Go Fishing!

Now the best way to learn is to use your new knowledge and develop them into skills. Write out your plan and implement and refine it. By understanding the sales process, you can attract more of the right people to your product or service. By-the-way… Scout leaders typically volunteered to hold up the line, especially when the new guys enthusiastically unknowingly volunteered. I love leadership by example.