Attracting Business Is Just Like Catching Fish
There are not many things in this world that are as fun as catching a fish. Some people like the spare-time activity more than others, but everyone will agree that the tug at the end of the line, the disappearing bobber and the first sight of that scaled aquatic animal all add to the thrill of fishing. It was the thought of this excitement, and more specifically, the desire 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 like some kind of military survival training!
"Urban combat fishing" gets 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 anglers standing 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 fish 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 really caught a Salmon. Now, the first thought that comes to mind naturally has something to do with the "chosen" angler being very favourable. That probably contains some accuracy, but I'm a firm believer that the harder one 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 started thinking about what possibly could have made that angler the lucky one to catch a fish. My feeling was that this man was just in the right place at the right time and that someday I too would 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 capably 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 preparation probably saved me from a potentially embarrassing situation and it unquestionably played a role in me returning empty-handed.
Ok...so what does this have to do with my business?
Fantastic 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 crucial to metal signs because even though we may not realize it, we, as small business owners who advertise with individualized metal signs, must be just as, if not more prepared than our challengers in order to catch the fish (customer).
You accusing me of being a fish?
Think about the number of personalized s you see EVERY SINGLE DAY. You probably see more custom metal signs than you can count, and you MOST CERTAINLY see too many to remember them all. There are, however, 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 personalized metal signs rather than the other five hundred that you see in a day. That's because whoever the business owner is that designed the "chosen" metal sign put in additional work to make her business sign stand out so that you, the passer-by, would remember her instead of all the other custom metal signs. And, just like the fisherman who studied where in the water the fish are most likely to hang out, 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 the competition when designing a personalized metal sign so that it will stand out in a sea of personalized metal signs.