How to Excel in Musky Fishing and Sales

Believe it or not, there are some striking similarities between fishing and sales.  Here are four proven personal attributes that will help you catch bigger fish both on and off the water...

Patience – when you’re out fishing for musky, you may spend all day beating the water trying to catch the elusive musky.  In fact, you may spend many days, casting out and reeling in, casting out and reeling in, casting out and reeling in, casting out and…..WHAM!  

Patience pays big dividends in sales too.  Casting out and reeling in, casting out and reeling in. Day in, day out – then WHAM!  You have a great sale.  Giving up too early when fishing means you’re willingly giving up the opportunity to land the biggest fish of your life. Giving up to early in sales, well that pretty much means the same thing.   

Persistence – The fish is going to bite.  It takes time, and it takes patience and it takes persistence.  Sitting in the boat staring at the water is not going to land you a fish.  Neither is sitting at your desk staring at the computer.   Keep calling until the customer tells you no – and realize that every “no” is just one step closer to a “yes”.  And every cast is just one step closer to a trophy on the wall.

Practice – If musky fishermen know how to do one thing well, it is how to cast.  They can cast a nine-inch, jointed hunk of wood, covered with treble hooks, 200 feet through the air and land it in the honey hole, just to the left of the fallen tree, underneath the willow, right next to the lily pad – every time, even at night.  They can do this because they’ve had a lot of practice.  Practice makes perfect.  It doesn’t help if you’ve found the perfect spot to cast for musky, if you can’t lob a lure smack into it.  Neither does it help to make the perfect sales call, if you fumble around and can’t get your message out.  Every call you make, every client you see, should be considered a learning experience and filed away for the next time.

Confidence – When I hit the water I know I’m going to land a musky.  I’ve spent years perfecting my style; I know which line to use, which bait to use, and which presentation to make for any given situation.  I know that when the fishing goes “cold”, it’s time back away for a few hours, change lures, and then come back and try again.  When I hit the sales trail, I know I’m going to land a client.  That’s because I’ve spent years perfecting my style; I know which line to use, and which presentation to make for any given situation.  I know that when a client goes cold, it might be time to back away for a few weeks, change direction, and come back and try again. 

So get out there and hit the water, errr, I mean street! 


Important Disclaimer: This post in no way intends to imply that our clients are like fish.   Really!