What Fishing Taught me about Sales

Selling is often compared to hunter or gatherer, were the hunter is aggressive and the gatherer is nurturing. But as I’ve matured I’ve come to believe selling is more like fishing, here’s why…

Fish Where the Fish Are:  When I was a kid growing up in Florida I was happy fishing off sea-walls, catching whatever swam along mostly Sailors-Choice but the occasional Sheep-head.  Early in my sales career, all I had was a phone and phone book, so I was happy with whoever picked up. Fishing today, going off-shore, to find nice snappers and groupers is what I call fun.  In B2B selling today, I’ve found LinkedIn to be where the best prospects can be found.

Have the Right Equipment:  Back in the day, a Zebco rod, some frozen shrimp and a few hooks and I was out the backdoor, good to go.  Today, I use a combination of equipment to catch specific species of fish. I use a cast-net to catch live bait, I use fish-finders and GPS to target, and I use a gaff or net to bring those fish in the boat. Selling today works best when using the right tools for the job.  Today I use content marketing as chum and sales enablement tools as the net.

Have the Right Plan:  When I was young I didn’t care what I caught, even Catfish were fun for me.  Today, I fish for different species in different seasons, I watch the tides, water temp and weather conditions.  Timing is important. Early in my sales career, any customer was a good customer. Today, I realize some clients are more valuable than others. So it requires a process that you plan for and anticipate.  

The Fish are Getting Smarter:  Back in the day, it sure seemed easier to catch fish, maybe because I was happy with anything.  Then their were times it felt like I was fishing in a bathtub. Today, I’m constantly trying new things, to see how I can improve my results. In sales, today’s decision makers have access to more information that ever and 60% of the buying process is done, prior to the first contact with a company.  This means you must figure out a way to allow companies to find you, to have any chance of success.

Chum the Water:  When I was a kid I thought chumming was just for attracting sharks.  When I realized you could use chum to attract specific species I was blown-away.  “I was like, "we can throw fish-food behind the boat, and create a cafeteria line of fish.”  Content marketing is the same thing, you keep a steady stream going, to lure the desired prospects.  That’s the point of content marketing, to get their attention and lure them close.

If you are ever in St. Petersburg, Florida and need a local to take you out, be sure to hit me up.  If you have a sales team and want to use LinkedIn to land more prospects you actually want to catch, click here and we can talk.  It can be the difference between success or an empty cooler. Happy Fishing!

Andrew Compton is founder and principal consultant of Andrew Compton Consulting. He's been teaching companies how to grow sales since helping his first automotive SaaS client scale to over 2,500 dealers. With nearly 2 decades of sales experience and over a decade in automotive SaaS sales leadership, he helps companies grow predictable revenues with his engineered sales process.

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