In another thread, it was pointed out to me that most would/should/could only focus on marketing. And reading through the forum it's noticeable by the amount of sales/marketing threads. I'd like to offer up a method I learned from fishing that helped me pay my way thru college doing retail sales and on to corporate success and finally to my current success.

When I was a kid I learned to fish and was taught the "InFisherman" FLP method to catch fish.
The way they explained it to me was you start with F then add in L and then you add in P. Let me explain now what the letters stand for.

F stands for fish, obviously. And the reason you start with the fish is to understand their tastes and likes. So if a fish is a scavenger or a predator, do they like hot water or colder water. Ambushes or other methods. By understanding the fish you have a better idea of their habits.

This leads to the L or location, by knowing the natural tendencies of the fish your targeting, it becomes easier to locate them in the water. If they like reedy areas, you go there, sandy bottoms, you go there... do they like colder water then more on the bottom warm water higher up.

Now we've an idea of what our target fish likes and where they most likely will be but we still have to get them to bite. That's the P or presentation. based on their likes and locations you can present a bait to get a strike. You might have to draw some attention to the bait by moving it around or just let it sit there, or even change baits to get the bite.

But these components when put together in order help get fish. It's true I'm not a very good fisherman but I can always catch something using it. One time I caught a sock though, but it's still something.

I hope the reader can see the connection between fishing and marketing and sales. But I'll explain it below just in case.

Fish are our target customers. We need to know their habits, interests, likes etc. by knowing your customer or potential customers habits and tendencies it's easier to find them.

Location is your marketplace. For many it could be Facebook, others it's associations, conventions, local tv news, or a neighborhood restaurant. Every marketplace is different, but by knowing the customer (fish) and your marketplace (location) it's easier to see where they hang out.

Now on to the P, presentation. by knowing where your customers hang out and their likes it's easier to present your product offering to them (bait, lure, etc). How you present it to them will also vary based on the client habits at the specific location. For example, a customer could be on both Facebook and Reddit but presenting on Reddit requires a different bait and presentation then Facebook or your local tv news spot.

Finally, sales is the retrieval process of reeling in the fish after they have bitten your bait.

when taken step by step and in order, the chances of finding a customer are greatly increased because you know the likes of your customer, where to find them, and how to get them to respond to you.

So my question is did you mount the sock over your fireplace?

WDAVIS,

I agree with everything you said above and find it sad that most magicians that look to do magic for a living do not invest more into proper systems that will he 10x their business.

Walking a prospect through your value ladder is incredibly important. I've heard the FLP concept also referred to as the MMM (message/market/media) triangle as taught by Dan Kennedy. Thanks for the good post

My question is why his wouldn't be doing this already?

Danny,

He may well be, and if he is great. This is just a start. But for those starting in their business or if they started and lacking a foundation just googled, "how to get customers" or even asked online and got responses like "put Facebook adds" or "use gigmasters" "put Ads in a paper" etc. then this will be very helpful. Like you said sales is key, if they are busy trying to get sales by implementing what they read or heard without some framework to understand the what and why of their actions then it doesn't matter how many ads or blogs or posts or what ever they are doing they won't be as successful as a focused approach.

Because if they understand these three components and something doesn't work right it's easier to identify the disconnect. It could be their presentation needs to change, or maybe their potential customers no longer hang out at that location. But it will help them use their limited time to better affect.

True most don't run magic as a business.

In many ways it is similar, but the nuances are important.

These things here are almost universal. I only qualify it because of my distaste for speaking in absolutes. I can't think of a business where it wouldn't apply. But there probably is one.

True, the only 2 absolutes on earth are death and taxes...

I agree 100% on the importance of nuances and tailoring these concepts to fit your needs. These concepts are guidelines, a sort of rough structure for people to get started with and as they grow in experience and knowledge the framework will adapt and evolve with them. Or they may leave it for something more sophisticated and specific for their needs.

Not familiar with any of Dan Kennedy's work. I'm trying to connect those 3m's with FLP. Message=presentation market=location media=? Wouldn't the media used fall under the presentation? Also doesn't seem to cover the fish or customer demographics. Again, not familiar with his approach or products. But it's something to look into as I'm always looking to learn and grow.

That's funny. I wish I could say I did.

The media would be wherever you have the best chance of connecting with your audience is.

Depending on your demographics and target market, where are they finding you?

WDavis, could you perhaps point to a sales or marketing book where one may gain deeper insight into developing a framework for our sales and marketing actions?