Fish ain’t bitin’

I have this one client that I’ve been working with for a few months now, and so far I haven’t been able to get any traction for him.

He’s a consultant, and the particular service he offers is one that really all of his target organizations need.

They’re not biting though.

What to do?

I’ve been doing a lot of fishing lately, so I’ll use that as an analogy.

When you’re out on the lake, and the fish aren’t biting, there’s a sequence of things you can change:

Far and away the biggest thing you start with is trying different locations. Fish like to congregate in specific areas, while other parts of the lake will be nearly fishless.

In this case, I’m doing outreach via email to hand-selected organizations, so I know that I’m reaching the right people.

Then there’s the matter of bait.

Some of the things you can change up when it comes to the bait are:

The bait itself. Shrimp, minnows, nightcrawlers, artificial lures.

The size of the bait. Bigger, smaller.

The depth of the bait. On the surface, under the surface, just off the bottom.

The speed of the bait. Stationary, zipping along, moving in jerks and stops.

Each of these has parallels in email marketing—maybe I’ll dig into some of them in a future email.

Point is, there’s a set of variables you can tweak if you’re not getting “bites.”

In this case, I’m pretty sure the issue is the specific “bait” we’re using.

We’re getting replies—only there of the “this doesn’t sound like something we need right now” variety.

The fish are swimming right up to it, taking a look, and going “meh, not interested.”

The specific problem my client solves clearly isn’t top of mind for his ideal prospects.

So it’s time to try a different approach.

In this case I’ve identified a topic that is something that’s on the prospect’s mind every day.

And it’s only half a step removed from the service my client offers.

So that’s what I’m “tying on” next.

Let’s see if they bite.