Are You Going to Fish or Are You Going To Cut Bait?

Are You Going to Fish or Are You Going To Cut Bait?

by Marlon Sanders

Dear Friend,

I've only fished once in my life.

But fishing makes a great analogy to marketing.

What most of us do in marketing is all screwed up.

We hop down to the bait shop, smell around. Do some bait-tasting. And so forth until we come up with the bait that we personally like.

Then instead of going to the pond right in our own backyard, you know, the one where we KNOW for sure what bait the fish like, we drive 100 miles to the pond that is bigger and looks prettier.

Then we cast out our rod and reel with the bait that WE would bite on.

Now, that can work if you ARE one of the little fishies in that pond. But if you aren't, then the fish aren't likely to bite. See, fish are weird creatures.

They only bite on bait THEY like.

Sure enough. Today the fish aren't biting. You blame it on the weather. Blame it on the book you read about fishing.

Blame it on the rod and reel you bought.

Blame it on the other fisher person who happens to be reeling 'em in right and left!

Blame it on everyone and everything else.

Except your bait. It couldn't be that because you are in LOVE with your own bait.

So you toss down your rod and reel. You grab your box 'o bait. You jump in the water, swim down till you see some of those nasty little fish.

You grab one of those suckers and cram your hook with the bait on it down the throat of the fish. Then you pop up to the surface, go to shore, grab your rod and reel and act like you're really cathing a good one!

Yep, this bait is really hot, you exclaim. The fish are just crazy about it!

That, my fine friend, is called falling in love with your product. We've all done it.

We have the greatest product in the world and we know it. And we're going to cram it down our customer's throats if it hair lips every freakin' frog in Georgia. (If you're reading this from overseas, Georgia is a place in the U.S. with a whole lot of frogs.)

I can hear it now, "Marlon Sanders' doesn't know what he's talking about! Corey Rudl doesn't know what he's talking about. Jonathan Mizel doesn't know what he's talking about. Declan Dunn doesn't now what he's talking about"... and so forth.

How does the smart fisherman or fisher woman catch fish?

Step one: Fish in the pond that's close to home. The one you know like the back of your hand.

That's your target market. Sell to a target market you know. Not that enticing one where you're clueless about the little fishies in it.

Step two: Grab a bunch 'o bait and take it to the pond with you. Be sure to grab several types you know from experience those little fishies just happen to love to gobble up like it's candy.

Step three: Fish when the fish are hungry. Don't fish after they've just eaten. If you gotta catch some fish and your pond is full, then go to the next closest pond.

Step four: Fish, man, fish.

You ain't gonna catch those gnarly little critters if you just sit there starin' at the other people fishing. Admiring them. Saying how great they are but you could never do it.

You gotta get your hands dirty with some bait. You gotta dig in there and get your rod and reel in the water.

You only catch fish by fishing.

Not by hoping one day you get good at fishing and you'll be worthy of putting your hook in the water with the best of them.

Not by reading more books on fishing to exclusion of actually fishing.

Not by dreaming about fishing.

Dreaming, reading, preparing and everything else are great and very helpful. But you ain't gonna snag yourself a darned fish 'till you finally get up the guts to get your rod and reel in there.

Then, while you're sitting there waitin' for your fish to bite, go ahead and read that fishing book.

A long time ago I sold time share in the evenings while I wrote freelance in the daytime trying to learn this business.

One of the speakers told this funny story that went something like this.

A fisherman got totally fed up with not catching any fish. So he got a bright idea one day and grabbed himself some sticks of dynamite.

He went down to his local fishing hole. Lit up a stick of dynamite, tossed it in the lake. It exploded. The fish came to the surface and he scooped himself up a whole bunch of them.

This was working out great.

He was really loadling up his truck with fish...

Till the park ranger showed up and informed him fishing with dynamite was against the law. The man looked puzzled a second.

Then he lit up a stick of dynamite. Stuck it in the hand of the park ranger and said:

NOW ARE YOU GONNA FISH OR ARE YOU GONNA CUT BAIT?

I used to laugh and laugh over that one. But it's a good point, isn't it?

The question for you today is, are you gonna fish or are you gonna just cut bait?

Here's to the joy of fishing!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Marlon Sanders is a renowned marketer on the Internet with customers in virtually every country of the world. He lives in Dallas, TX and can usually be found fishing around a local bookstore for just one more little technique that brings in extra profits.

His signature products are The Amazing Formula That Sells Products Like Crazy and the Cash Like Clockwork Money-making System. If you appreciate his blunt, no b.s. approach to Online marketing, check out his numerous products and popular 60% profit reseller program (with no smoke and mirrors) at: http://www.getyourprofits.com. It's one of the top-ranked associate programs on the Internet.
© 2002 by Higher Response Marketing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.