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A fisherman friend gave me a great prospecting reminder: fish at your feet first.
His point was a simple one: why spend a lot of effort casting, and risking throwing your bait, and then having to reel in loads of line until you’ve caught the ones right next to you? Isn’t that exactly the same concept that we should be mindful of when it comes to prospecting for new business? We should fish at our feet first…..and when we are sure there are no fish to be had nearby then we can cast further out…. The further we have to cast our line, the greater the effort and resources and time required per fish caught.
Exactly the same with marketing professional services I thought to myself…. “the further out we have to throw, the slower the process and the lower the likelihood of landing a great new client” .
So who or what are the “fish at our feet”? Our existing clients and networks of course.
There is an absolute need for us to be spending some time and effort on trying for the bigger fish further out, and as such we do need to have marketing systems and campaigns that our casting our brand and expertise further out. It makes good sense though to first make sure we are capturing all the opportunities we can within our existing client base – including getting referred to those who matter to our clients.It is a simple concept, and should be nothing new for most professionals.
Yet it was an excellent reminder of the smart play: before making the bid for the big catch do not overlook the easy and low effort “food on the table” that is more often than not sitting right at your feet. In the excitement of chasing bigger fish I suspect we all forget from time to time that there are easier catches which are very fulfilling, though perhaps not as exciting.
Related: Go the Extra Mile and Clients Will Love You, Right?