Marketing 101 Part 3 - Developing Fishing Skills

Having identified the types of Fishermen in the previous section, let’s now turn our attention to the actual practice of fishing and some of the skills that are needed. Those of you who have had some fishing experience will remember occasions where you have seen one angler taking fish while other anglers watch in awe and wonder what makes the difference.  It’s not usually just a single skill that contributes to success but rather a number of skills working together.  One weak link can render a chain useless, likewise one area of weakness in a selling or listing process can collapse the entire deal.

FISHING PRINCIPLES

1. You Must Go Down To the River to Fish

You go to the fish; the fish do not come to you.  Some people get a real estate license and then turn their license in once they find out how much prospecting is required in order to be successful.  Oh how nice it would be to sit in the office and rely on walk in traffic.  Some people actually sit around the office waiting for floor calls or walk-ins.  Good luck!  It is slim pickings.  You have to work to generate the traffic to develop a successful business.

2. Identify the Fish

Some fish are seasonal, some are nocturnal, some like deep still water and some like faster currents.  Once you know what fish you want to catch, you then must decide which place to fish and the best time for the fish to be present and available.

3. Select the Right Tackle

Different fish respond to different lures and different techniques, depending on the environment.  Salmon, for instance, can be taken in the ocean, the river or a lake and each location requires a different tackle and a different approach.  You need to know what should be in your tackle box before you get to the river. First time homebuyers, seasoned buyers, past clients, for-sale-by-owners, expired listings, you name it, all need different lures and different technique.  True professionals practice their skills and test their equipment before the contest.  Amateurs try to improve their skills during this contest and the results can be very costly.

4. It Is All In the Presentation

I have seen anglers cast their lure directly at the fish and stand wondering why the fish make a hasty retreat.  Experienced anglers employ a more sensitive approach.  They pass the lure above the current and let it drift over to the fish in order to attract attention.  The stealthy approach is asking questions and finding the needs before you offer your solution. A fish will most often strike when the lure is being retrieved rather than when it is being presented.  Likewise, when a presentation is made with a quiet confidence, in which the features and the unique benefits of your service have been carefully explained, it is often at the point of starting to pack up your briefcase that the commitment is voluntarily made!  It is all in the quality of your presentation.

5. A Hooked Fish Is Not a Caught Fish

The fish is only caught when it is in the boat or the net.  A listing is not a sold listing until completion.  A buyer is not a buyer sold until conditions are removed.  A lot of skill is required between hooking a fish and landing a fish.  A fish that slips the hook or breaks a line is always a disappointment.  However, it is a part of the fishing, or real estate game.  You should always learn from the experience and prevent it happening again.  You don’t stop fishing because the fish got away.  You make your judgment by the number of fish you have in the bag at the end of the day, month or year.

Keep Fishing and may your net always be full!  Next week, we will take a closer look at the Presentation.

Keep your lines in the water...

Coach