Marketing professional services is a lot like bass fishing—both require strategy, tactics, patience, and understanding your target. Let’s listen in as a civil engineer and a marketer walk along a river.
Marketer: I’ve been thinking—marketing professional services, like consulting engineering, isn’t that different from what you’re doing bass fishing.
Engineer: You’re joking! I’m just casting for bass. How’s that like selling consulting services?
Marketer: Think about it. You don’t just fling your lure anywhere, do you? You look for structure—places bass like to hide.
Engineer: Of course. You have to know your waters and the behavior of bass. I target the spots they’re likely to hang out, especially where there’s shade and cover.
Marketer: I look for that too, but before venturing onto the river or lake, I do a little research to find things like weather pattern, sunrise and sunset, daytime and night time air temps, time of the season like early and late, my catch limit, and best bait for the time of day and year. All sorts of things. It is important to research the environment of a prospect and know targets as well as you can before contact.
Engineer: I know you come prepared. You are familiar with fishing spots before we arrive. You always are.
Marketer: Knowing your waters and the behavior of bass is like market focus for professional services. You need to understand where your ideal clients are and what they care about. Instead of casting everywhere, you create client focus—tailoring your message and efforts to solve their specific problems.
Engineer: Okay, but I’ve got my tackle bag. I pick lures depending on the weather, season, and what the bass are biting. Sometimes flashy, sometimes subtle. You are not telling me something I don’t know!
Marketer: Brand positioning is your selection of lures. You differentiate your consulting firm by choosing messaging and methods that match what your niche values most—demonstrating your unique expertise and solutions.
Engineer: Sometimes, even after picking the right lure, the fish still don’t bite. Then what?
Marketer: That’s where credibility and trust come in. Think of it as keeping your gear in top shape and earning trust with repeat visits. In consulting, trust is built over time—by demonstrating expertise and delivering consistent results, just like you prove yourself bass fishing time and again.
Engineer: Makes sense. Patience. Sometimes it takes all afternoon for a bite.
Marketer: Exactly. Nurturing leads in marketing is like waiting out the fish, maybe giving little nudges, adjusting your approach, and not giving up after a dry spell. Professional service sales cycles, especially in land development, can be long, so you keep in touch, offer insights, and build those relationships—just as your angling reputation at the club earns you tips and camaraderie.
Engineer: And I always talk fishing with seniors—share some spots, lures, stories. Sometimes I even bring someone new with us, so we can have our July fishing trips to a cabin with a bunch of like-minded anglers, including the newbies.
Marketer: That’s relationship management and leveraging referrals. Your fishing friends are like past clients and business partners—every happy client can bring you more. Building a reliable pipeline is about nurturing those connections and encouraging them to introduce you elsewhere.
Engineer: I also remember details of exciting catches—what worked, what didn’t.
Marketer: That’s measurement and optimization. Track what marketing activities actually bring in leads—maybe a newsletter gets more attention than social media, just like your memories tell you when and where the bass are biting.
Engineer: You know, seems like to land a big client—or a big bass—you need research, the right gear, the right spot, patience, and reputation.
Marketer: That’s exactly it. In both angling and marketing professional services:
- Target the right audience (know the fish and where they hide)
- Develop trust and expertise (use the right gear, show consistent results)
- Tailor your approach (pick the right lure, the right message)
- Nurture relationships (keep fishing, keep in touch – grow your network)
- Track and refine your efforts (Remember angling tactics and change bait, perhaps keep a client and prospect file, and optimize marketing activities)
Engineer: Never thought I’d see myself talking marketing strategy while walking to the river for bass, but you’re right—success comes from understanding, adapting, and building trust, whether you’re after bass or business. Angling for clients isn’t about luck; it’s about strategy, tactics, persistence, and knowing your waters. And sometimes, the best insights come while waiting for a bite.
Grant Lee, CPM
Marketing Strategies and Tactics