Watch almost anyone fly fishing and you will see them change their fly a lot. Fishermen always think that if they aren't catching fish then the fish must be eating something else. However, that is typically far from the truth. A fisherman is usually quite educated about what should be working, whether that tip came from a friend or a fishing report. Much like in our business we are out there prospecting with things that we believe should be selling, but sometimes they don't always sell. Typically the problem is not what you are selling, but rather the form of what you are selling and where you are trying to sell it. Let me explain further.
I learned a long time ago that if the fish are not eating your fly you should try something a little bit smaller or bigger than what you are currently using. That means that you should use the exact same offering but in a different size. Other tactics are to use the same type of fly but in a bit of a different color. These changes work more often than you would think. I reason that it's because the fish see so much of the same thing that when something comes by that looks just a bit different it stands out and they can't resist. In your business realize that modifying your offering just a little bit can go a long way towards gaining new customers.
There are a lot of different ways you can present a fly to a trout. First, is your mode of prospecting; you can either be floating in a boat or wade fishing. In the spring and early summer, snow melt causes the rivers to rise making the wade fishing difficult. Additionally most of the fish are forced to find slower water, which is usually on the bank. Therefore, fishing from a boat is a preferred method when the river is high so you can cast to the bank rather than cast from it. Then you need to consider your actual fishing tactic of dry fly, nymph or streamer. Let's not get too technical here but you have some serious options. What you need to determine is what prospecting tactic will yield the best results given the current situation. In other words you need to calculate your ROI (return on investment) for your various prospecting tactics to determine what works best for your current environment. Selling, much like marketing, requires some financial reporting and analysis in order to become successful.
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Photo Credit - Taken by author Matt Roberge while rowing the boat