Fishing For Your Business
There are not many things out there that are as satisfying as spying a fish. Some people like the spare-time activity more than others, but all can agree that the pull at the end of the line, the disappearing bobber and the first sight of that scaly aquatic animal all add to the excitement of sportfishing. It was the perspective of this adventure, 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 custom called "urban combat fishing."
Sounds to me like some sort of military survival of the fittest exercise!
"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 tons of fishermen and fisherwomen 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 Salmon outnumber the fishermen, but this was not the case during my vacation. In fact, while I was out there, 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 favourable. There is probably some truth to that, but I'm a firm believer that the harder a person works, the luckier he or she becomes.
The road less traveled. Please, go on.
After coming home 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 inclination was that this man was just in the right place at the right time and that someday 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 person to catch the fish. Did I research where these fish tend to congregate? Did I know the best type of 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. thus, my lack of preparation probably saved me from a potentially embarrassing situation and it most definitely played a role in me returning empty-handed.
Ok...so what does this have to do with my company?
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 see it, we, as small-scale business proprietors who promote with customized 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?
Try to remember the number of personalized s you see EVERY SINGLE DAY. You probably see more custom metal signs than you can count, and you DEFINITELY see too many to recall 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 coincidence that you are able to remember some metal signs instead of the other two hundred that you see in a day. That's because whoever the business owner is that configured the "chosen" metal sign put in additional work to make her business sign stand out so that you, the consumer, would remember her instead of all the other custom metal signs. And, just like the angler who studied where in the water 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 the competition when designing a custom metal sign so that it will stand out in an ocean full of personalized metal signs.