I had the privilege of talking to "Reelady" Marcia Rubin yesterday about bass fishing as well as the business- and sales- side of her occupation as a professional angler. She was most gracious with her time, spending well over an hour talking to this no-name blogger about all of her passions from bass fishing to coffee. At the end of our conversation I can honestly say she sold me! I am a huge fan now, and wish her much success!
[FYI- coming soon ... more posts from my conversation with Marcia]
When I think about what Marcia does off the boat, she is in constant sales mode; she's selling herself to potential sponsors, selling the sport of bass fishing, and in particular she's selling the sport to women. But there's nothing "salesy" about her- she's just truly passionate about what she does, and her enthusiasm is contagious. That is often the key to success in sales. If you have that passion and belief about what you're doing, you're going to be able to generate excitement for your product (service, sport, etc.) naturally.
During our conversation she sold me on both her sponsors (Lake Fork Trophy Lures, Gamma Fishing Line, G Loomis, BountyFishing.com) and non-sponsors products and services. Her most recent "catch" was BountyFishing.com, a Canadian based company hosting online fishing tournaments. Participants pay a small entry fee and then fish from their own location- no boat necessary- and send in photos of their catch. Forensic software is used to detect the actual length and legitimacy of their catch, and the winners are awarded the prize money! I was both amazed and really excited by this opportunity to fish competitively without a boat! Thanks Marcia, sign me up!!! She was able to close the deal with BountyFishing.com and convince them to fly down to the Classic last week to see their potential US audience. Obviously impressed by her passion they agreed to sponsor her! One down, more to go...
Since professional bass fishing hasn't reached the popularity of many other sports (like NASCAR) there aren't many Agents well versed in representing anglers- she said they're too focused on fishing products, which is such a narrow segment. Marcia, therefore, represents herself which she admits can be challenging. Her goal is to "focus on non-endemic sponsorships... not just rods and reels [but] marketing everything we use or do... cameras, cell phones, computers..." She also wants sponsorship from products that she's passionate about, "like Dunkin' Donuts Coffee! I would love to have my boat wrapped by Dunkin' Donuts!!! I love their coffee... it's so smooth and velvety! Everyone knows Marcia always has her Dunkin' Donuts coffee. I bring my own coffee pot to tournaments and brew my own Dunkin' Donuts blend. I've got heated thermoses in my truck that plug into the lighters. Isn't it the best coffee, so smooth and velvety?"
Umm, Dunkin' Donuts, if your reading this will you PLEASE sponsor Marcia!? How perfect would that be? A Bass Pro that gets up at 3:00 AM to drive to the boat launch, needs to stay warm all morning with her cup of coffee, and then drives all through the night to get back home. Talk about "America Runs on Dunkin' Donuts!"
She continued to talk about how "velvety and smooth" the coffee was, and how much she enjoyed drinking a cup of it when catching up with her sister. Okay my mouth is watering now- I must get coffee soon!
In my mind, this is how every sale should be... a great conversation infused with energy and passion... and maybe a little caffeine too! She had nothing to gain by talking to me about Dunkin' Donuts, but that is honestly all I have thought about since our conversation! Well that and Bounty Fishing:) If you can't get excited about what you're selling it's an uphill battle.
So go grab a cup of java and get excited about what you're selling!
Pictured left to right: Jim (McDonald's Coffee), Me with Dunkin' Donuts- of course, Jeff and Mike heading out on a bitter cold November morning.
Below: 2 out of 4 Anglers prefer Dunkin' Donuts Coffee.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment