The first thing that I noticed when I got onto the small boat at the Nickerie river in Suriname, was the cleanliness and order of the boat. The skipper in charge had all of the rods, upright, with their lines neatly tucked away, in holders. The holders were made out of piping, about 30cm long, which had been welded to the side of the boat. For me it was a very special designed boat.
A simple, inexpensive aid had made me sit up and pay attention. This skipper thought about his customers, and this device left a strong impression. We then got a very short lecture on safety, checked we had our life jackets on, and off we went. Fishing with my friends. The cool box had our special drinks on board.
Finding the target market
About minutes later, the skipper stopped the boat, and told us we should find some Curaaz here. He explained that the lures on the hooks looked just like what Curaaz wanted to eat. It certainly was not something I would have fancied!
He explained that through his experience and the help of a little sonar gadget on his boat, that he knew there was a shoal of fish below. We all slung our rods over the side and dropped our lines, looking to catch the Curaaz.
Reeling in the sale
Now I don’t know about you, but this was totally new to some of us. I wound up the line frantically, as soon as I felt a tug, and hey presto, there were three fish dangling off the hooks. I started flailing about, one jumped off before I even got it in over the side, and when I was trying to reel it in the final bit I lost another one. The one that I got in, I lost down the gutter when I finally got it off the hook.
The skipper explained to me, that once a fish took the bait, I should give a quick tug on the rod, to make sure it was firmly hooked. I should then take my time, to reel it in. Secure the rod in the holder, with the fish hanging over the bucket and deal with them one by one – I did, and I ended up with 14 Curaaz fish, which delighted me, as I had set a target of 10, since one of my friends had caught 9 on his first time catching Curaaz.
So what are the lessons for marketing – if you are still with me, and have not already got most of them, here they are in business speak;
1. Set goals and targets that are realistic, and based on some valid foundation or research.
2. Have simple procedures set up, to make it easy to operate and for your customers to conduct business with you.
3. Speak in your prospects language, about what they want – it’s a bit like the fish bait, unlikely that strawberries and cream will catch many mackerel! Curaaz does not eat fruits.So once again put the right bait.
4. Once you know what your prospects like, find out where they are, do some research and target them accordingly – as in our example, not much point in putting down the exact bait in a shoal of Curaaz.
5. Once you get your customers attention, or have a lead, qualify it, and ensure you follow up at all time to close the sale. Again the use of a good sales process is essential here.
The bottom line, if you know what problems or desires your customers have, and you can solve or fulfill these, while providing value for money, you will always be a winner.
And if you don’t know the answer to that question, go ask the people who have already bought from you – they do!
I really hope that you are ready to start fishing effectively from now after reading this article. KEEP FISHING FOR LEADS THE RIGHT AND EFFECTIVE WAY(S).
