The Parable of the Fishermen

Not so long ago, in a village not so far away, lived two fishermen.

The first fisherman — let's call him Bob — was a savvy hook and line fisherman.

Proficient with using bite-baiting techniques, Bob invested in juicy and tasty looking lures as well as very sharp curved fish hooks.

Knowing that a particular lake was filled with yummy fishes, he was successful in hooking fish after fish, and did that day after day.

Bob's wife was delighted that he could bring her fresh seafood virtually every day.

The second fisherman — let's call him Bill — wasn't very savvy with hook and line techniques.

Instead, Bill came from a generation of farmers.

Having worked alongside his grandfather and father in the farm , he decided to apply the principles of farming in fishing.

After he found a lake teeming with fishes, Bill didn't immediately seek to catch them.

Rather than use lures like Bob to hook and catch his fishes, he gave them nutritious feed — worms, protein pellets, and other yummy stuff.

As he returned home empty while spending the family funds on fish food, Bill was ridiculed by his wife.

"Bill! We have bills to pay and mouths to feed! And you're not just catching fishes, you're throwing good money at them!" she scolded.

Time flew by.

Days turned to weeks. Weeks to months. Months to years.

Slowly, Bob's fishing expeditions yielded fewer and fewer catches. The fishes he brought home shrunk in size as all the large adults were caught.

On certain days, he returned home empty. He was berated by his wife for not bringing home any catch.

"What the fish, Bob! You spent an entire day out and couldn't even catch an ikan bilis!" roared Mrs Bob.

Hungry and broken, Bob decided to pay a visit to his friend Bill. He heard that Bill did pretty well as a fisherman, and sought to get some advice from him.

He gave Bill a call (they hadn't kept in touch in years as they were busy with their fishy escapades), got his address, and drove to his house.

When Bob arrived at Bill's residence, he was shocked to see how grand his friend's home was . A butler answered the door.

Bill invited his long time friend Bob to dine with him. Fish was on the menu of course!

He then shared how he made his fortune.

Well, Bill didn't just feed the fishes in his lake. He also invested time and effort to build a large fish net .

Because he was present every day, feeding and nurturing his fishes, they grew to trust him.

Some of the fishes could even eat out of his fingers.

The fishes in Bill's lake also multiplied in numbers, and grew rapidly.

Every 2 months or so, Bill hauled his net to the lake and gently lowered it into the icy waters. He would scatter the fish food in front of the net, and entire schools of fish would swim into it.

When he hauled his catch, his nets were so full that his boat almost capsized .

Because his family weren't able to consume so many fishes, Bill sold his catch at the market.

With the profits gleaned from his fishes, he invested in more fish food, more nets, and even hired a team of fishermen to help him.

Eventually, he became a fish tycoon.

MORAL OF THE STORY FOR MARKETERS

Like Bob and Bill, there are two types of marketers.

The first, like Bob, spends all his or her time casting hooks and lures to attract their audience. They dangle discounts, offers and promotions. They use click-baiting techniques and "hacks" to catch their customers.

Over time, their potential customers wise up to their tactics. They ignore their social media posts. They avoid their emails. They unfollow and block them.

What about the second type of marketers — the ones like Bill?

Well, these are the ones who invest time and energy to nurture and cultivate their audiences.

They feed their community with valuable information. They provide useful tips that can help them to grow. They assist them in reaching their potential.

When the time comes to sell their products or services, their customers willingly swim up to them — often without hesitation!

This second group of marketers are also builders. They invest time and effort not only in nurturing their customers, but in optimizing their marketing systems and processes.

Now which type of marketer would you prefer to be? Bob or Bill?

And yes, I certainly do know many Bobs and Bills in my trade!