Attracting Customers Is Just Like Fishing For King Salmon
There are not many things in this world that are as satisfying as spying a fish. Some men and ladies enjoy the hobby more than others, but all can agree that the tug at the end of the line, the vanishing bobber and the first view of that scaley aquatic creature all add to the thrill of sportfishing. It was the thought of this adventure, and more specifically, the need to have a freezer full of Alaskan King Salmon, that a couple of years ago landed me on the banks of Ship Creek in Anchorage, Alaska partaking in a local tradition called "urban combat fishing."
Sounds to me like some sort of military survival of the fittest training!
"Urban combat fishing" takes its name from the fact that 1) it takes place in an urban environment, 2) it's a style of fishing and 3) it involves oodles of fishermen and fisherwomen lining up side by side along the side of Ship Creek all competing for the same limited number of Alaskan King Salmon. Sure, there are times when the Salmon outnumber the anglers, but this was not the case during my vacation. In fact, while I was fishing, only one of the hundreds of anglers within sight of me actually caught a Salmon. Now, the first thought that comes to mind by nature has something to do with the "chosen" angler being very favorable. There is probably some accuracy to that, but I'm a aithful believer that the harder a person works, the luckier he or she becomes.
The road less traveled. Please, go on.
After returning from Alaska without any King Salmon and a slight feeling of self-pity, I began to think about what possibly could have made that angler the lucky one to catch a fish. My feeling was that this man was simply in the right place at the right time and that one day I would also be in the right place at the right time. But then, I started thinking about what I would have done had I been the one to catch the fish. Did I research where these fish tend to congregate? Did I know the ideal bait to use in order to attract a hungry fish? Would I have even been able to ably reel in a 30-pound fish in front of an audience of strangers? The answer to these questions is, quite simply, no. Therefore, my lack of preparedness probably saved me from a potentially unenviable experience and it most definitely played a role in me returning empty-handed.
Ok...so what does this have to do with my business?
Super question. Had I, like the angler, been more prepared, I may not have caught a fish, but I would have at least known how to do so if the opportunity had arisen. This is necessary to metal signs because even though we may not see it, we, as small business owners who promote with individualized metal signs, must be just as, if not more prepared than our competition in order to catch the fish (customer).
You calling me a fish?
Think about the number of personalized metal signs you see EACH AND EVERY DAY. You probably see more custom metal signs than you can count, and you DEFINITELY see too many to remember them all. There are, nonetheless, more than likely a few made-to-order signs that you can tell me about. And that, my friends, is no coincidence.
Coincidence?
It's no surprise that you are able to remember some metal signs rather than the other three hundred that you see in a day. That's because whoever the business owner is that configured the "chosen" put in extra work to make her business sign stand out so that you, the onlooker, would remember her custom metal sign instead of all the other . And, just like the angler who studied where in the Creek the fish are most likely to swim, so too should the smart small business owner research where her potential customers are most likely to be. A small business owner has to be more educated and more prepared than her competitors when designing a custom metal sign so that it will stand out in an ocean full of personalized metal signs.