September 17, 2019
The Hungry Fisherman
Imagine that you’re sitting in a little rowboat boat. You’ve got a fishing line hanging over the edge. You’ve been sitting there for hours.
You’ve been going out on the lake like this every day for a month. You haven’t had a nibble.
You’re getting hungry.
Really hungry.
Suddenly, you feel a tug on a line! YES!!!
You jump up, the boat rocks violently, water splashes everywhere, you yank on the pole, and... the line breaks! NO!!!
In desperation, you dive face first into the water, frantically clutching for the fish with both hands.
No fish. No dinner. And a little closer to no hope.
Here’s the thing...
If you let yourself get too hungry, you’re going to do all the wrong things when you finally get a nibble.
Catching a fish - or making a campfire or winning a tennis match or selling an engagement - does not happen by magic; it takes preparation and practice.
If you’re not getting enough leads, then you’re not getting enough practice. And if you let that go on for too long, you start to get really hungry, which makes the whole situation worse.
Here’s a three step approach to getting out of the downward spiral caused by not having enough leads:
- First, secure some “keep the lights on money” (so you don’t “yank the line” immediately with every lead)
- Second, increase your lead flow so you can practice having The Why Conversation (instead of clutching at them with both hands)
- Third, quote the client three prices based roughly on the value of your contribution to their desired outcome (not how much work it’s going to take)
It takes a little time, but it’s not rocket science.
Yours,
—J