The Secret to Targeting Prospects
Picture a riverbank, popular for fishing.
One part is beautiful, sunny, nice grass verge. A great place to just sit and soak up the atmosphere, let alone fish.
Another part of the river is muddy, dark, cold. People do not even like to walk their dogs through there.
Sam turns up one morning. Some old fool is stood there at the dark patch, freezing in his galoshes but Sam spots the sunny place is still free. He skips past with his tackle jangling, smiling at his good fortune.
Later as Sam packs up he is cursing. Where had that good luck gone? One small fish. While he ponders going to the fishmarket to save his pride by faking it, out the corner of his eye he spots the old “fool” in the dark, muddy spot, slip and fall on his behind, struggling with a bundle.
He has caught so many fish he is having difficulty hauling his massive catch.
“Help you with that?”
“Would be most grateful lad”
“You did well today”
“Ah, not bad. Not bad. You?”
“Um, not as good as you”
“That will be that bad spot you got. Sorry and all, I got there first”
“I got the bad spot?”
“Yup, I took the place where all the fish are. You might want to get here earlier next time!”
Posted on May 17th, 2007 by Chris Garrett in Marketing
I should be targetting the smelly, unshaven prospects who never wash?
It is certainly true that our preconceptions are not generally good guides to opportunities.
These days I just throw things against the wall and see what sticks. Most times things just fall straight off, but other times things stick like glue.
Once something has stuck, put effort into it and make it grow.
The internet allows me to try things fast, so I can move on that bit faster. The internet is a very Darwinian environment.
Fantastic analagy! Yes it is true. We have been trying out so many marketing campaigns trying to get the “ideal” kind of customer rather than a ton of traffic and possibly a few not so ideal customers.
I have noticed that we are fishing in the wrong area. I guess the problem was that we were not targetting the prospects carefully. So we were getting sales, but not the kind of customers we hoped for.
Love your blog!
A mistake may entrepreneurs make is to try to fish where everyone else is already fishing. Some products are easier to sell because no one is comfortable selling them.
I once heard that the CEO of Merck required the re-engineering of Rogaine. It seems that the original Rogaine had the Viagra property and Merck was above selling such a drug. Pfizer wasn’t. Looks like it was a hit. Time have also changed and so did the acceptability of talking about ED.
Edison was outraged when he heard that his gramophone was being used for music and dancing instead of dictation and lecture recording. Then they told him how much money he was making and he quieted down.
Fish where the fish are…very nice analogy.
Good story, but how do you find the fish?
I’m a sucker* for a good analogy! Well done.
*Keen anglers in the crowd (Canadians, at any rate) will recognize ’sucker’ as a reference to the inedible kind of fish that continually dashes in to gobble your bait, when what you’re actually trying for is a lovely fat tasty rainbow trout.
@Steve - yes if you are selling soap
@Jack - it is, but things like keyword tools help reduce the guess work
@Logo - it’s amazing the difference what an even subtle shift of position can make
@Roger - you are absolutely right, me-too advertising for me-too products
@esearing - that’s the other half of the story
@Jen - and I am a sucker for canadianisms