Big fish story

This past weekend, I went to East Texas to go black bass fishing with my father. This is a regular trip we take for some R&R and to hunt for the monster bass. As someone prone to finding business analogies in everyday life, I of course started drawing parallels between fishing and professional success.

I ended up with four key findings:

• Getting your hook wet is a requirement.
• Patience does pay off.
• No risk, no reward.
• Don’t be scared of catching the big lunker.

Wetting your hook: I’m always perplexed when I hear someone in sales tell me they don’t like to cold call. It’s the equivalent of a fisherman not wanting to get in the boat. As a salesperson, you have the freedom to call on any company across the globe and fish for their business. If they never see your hook, you’ll never catch anything.

Practicing patience: On a full moon, the fish will feed at night. As a result, you may have to wait longer to catch anything. It’s not a good thing or a bad thing—it’s just part of the game. You have to have patience and continue to present your offering. At some point, the fish will start biting.

Taking risks: This weekend I threw my bait in plenty of trees while trying to land it in the perfect spot. The best salespeople take risks and go where the competition will not, even if it costs them a little bit of bait.

Reeling in the big one: You’ll never catch a big fish at the neighborhood pond. Many sales professionals are afraid to catch the big lunker, so they spend their entire careers fishing for minnows in local ponds. Go where the money is, call on the big accounts, dial the C-level decision maker… just make sure you have a fantastic value proposition ready to sell.

It is my hope that each of you catches your 10-pound bass. Your big fish story is out there waiting to be caught.

Happy fishing!

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