Story by Hunter Sales | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
This week’s column is one that comes from my heart and on the heels of several conversations I’ve had around the fishing industry over the past few weeks. It can serve as advice for aspiring professional anglers, entrepreneurs, or really anyone that has dreams bigger than where they are currently. I’m younger than most people that give this type of advice, but I’ve coached nearly 100 different college anglers now and have seen behind the curtain of many successful businesses.
We’ll start by discussing the fishing industry, but many of these statements and principles apply in everyday life as well. The space is crowded. There are thousands of people who are hungry and fighting for their seat at the table. When you think about it logically, it seems that it would be difficult to carve out your niche and gain a following. Social media is filled with those living flashy lifestyles, catching 10 pounders, and making scenes for attention. A lot of people have grown up watching this and are trying to recreate it in their own lives. The result: a group of people with egos bigger than their performances, debt coming out of their ears, and a negative reputation that enters a room long before they do. I’m not going to blame this on the youth or even criticize those who try to recreate these flashy images. I’m guilty of it too at times. It’s what social media has told us success looks like. However, every truly successful person that I know behaves opposite of this.
We should all strive to be a person who walks into a room quietly, makes everyone around us better, and is easy to do business with. This is enough to make you stand out in today’s world. It doesn’t happen immediately, sometimes it can take years of “doing the right thing” before you see reward. As a Christian, I understand that it may not even happen in this lifetime. When recruiting high school anglers, it’s always refreshing to deal with the person that is appreciative of a chance rather than those who are shopping the best offers. I’ve heard the same thing from marketing and pro-staff directors in the fishing industry. Those people who buy the product at the retail price and work to show their value before ever asking for a deal are the ones who typically end up having the longest relationships and the best deals. A mentor of mine that serves as a VP of marketing for a very large company has told me multiple stories about how he used to shoot free content for people to show his value.
Why does this work? People want to do business with people they like. People also want to know that you’re not afraid of work. Everyone claims to be a hard worker and to do the right thing. Sometimes you must prove it by working on the front end and knowing that compensation will follow. In the business world, this is a satisfaction guarantee. It can be used to open doors that would otherwise remain closed.
In a crowded world, let’s all try to stand out by doing things the right way.
Hunter Sales – Angler Profile
