Three Thousand Casts a Day; How Many Cold Calls Did You Make?

When I think about how tiring prospecting or cold-calling can be I always try to think about it in terms of fishing. Some of the Bass Pros make over 3000 casts in a tournament day, tirelessly looking for their next strike. Oftentimes you will hear a pro mention that his best fish was caught with the very last cast of the day, right before he sped back to the weigh-in. It's that never-quit attitude that separates the pros from the starving fisherman. Even when they have already caught their limit, they are still trying to land something bigger.

I've found that the same attitude applies toward the truly successful salesmen I know too. Even when they have met their quota for the day (week, month, etc.) they are still perpetually prospecting. The guys who, instead, hit the golf course after they have hit their numbers find themselves on a slippery slope to sales suicide.

I know both feelings. I know what it feels like to want to rest on your laurels, but I also know what it feels like to constantly want more. The next time I feel like taking the afternoon off I will pretend that each cold call is another cast in search of landing Walter. After all, I have made sales on my last call of the day before, and I have caught lunker bass on my last cast. You never know what you can reel in.