hether it is fishing or selling, we all have no doubt heard about the big ones that were caught and the even bigger ones that got away. In both cases, we know that size does matter and that success is all about patience. So be ye fisher or salesperson, this fish story is for you.

In fishing, the most important thing is to relax, and the second most important ingredient is patience. Beyond a calm patience, the important ingredients are finding the right place and time of year to fish for a particular species, selecting the right tackle and investing the time that it takes for all of this planning to come together. If you are any good at fishing, you also know that in spite of proper planning, on any given day the fish may not be biting and you simply will need to come back again.

For those of us in the selling game, the requirements for success are just about the same. Our patience to stay in the game and remain positive, particularly today when the general business environment is a bit choppy, is regularly put to the test. (Question: What is the difference between a halibut and an Enron VP? One is a scum-sucking bottom-feeder and the other is a fish.)

For success, finding the right place to fish is just as important in fishing as in selling.

If your service provider prefers small accounts, you shouldn't be fishing for the big ones.

Timing is also just as important in selling as in fishing. Many accounts will not make a change during December, and it is always important to pick a time when the owner is in. If you are selling to restaurants, the peak hours around lunch and dinner may be bad times to make a sales call, to name just a couple of examples.

For that matter, just as in fishing, using the right tackle is always important. If your prospect takes only one or two checks a month, check conversion may be overkill for their business (so leave that bait in the boat).

If you're going to sell wireless equipment, you might do well to have a pager or cell phone that uses the same network that you are offering, to test in the merchant's location. Nothing worse than selling a wireless terminal outside the service area (a bit like trolling for halibut or using a green hoochie without a hook).

Finally, sometimes those prospective accounts may not be biting, but that just means you have to go back out tomorrow and fish again.

Somehow, the fish can tell when you are all keyed up, and for sure a prospective merchant can feel you sweat. If you keep pulling the hook out of the water, you can't catch anything.

In fishing for new payment-service accounts or for fish, none of the magic can really happen until we relax, so for those of you who need to clear your head, get an attitude adjustment or just need to see the fishing vs. selling metaphor played out so you can gain some perspective, I have a great recommendation. It happens just a few months each year, and finding out about it up to this point has always been word of mouth. But the place is Doc Warner's Excursion Inlet (www.docwarners.com).

Fishing for Fish

From June to August or September you can have the most incredible fishing experience of your life. North of Juneau, Alaska, Doc Warner (Ph.D., marine biology) has created the fishing version of a golf camp. Doc, wife Linda, a host of other Warner family members and a 24-member team of sportfishing experts, dock and galley personnel have set out to provide the best Alaskan experience that they can provide.

The fishing experience is from Sunday to Saturday each week, with 18-foot boats, three meals a day and 10 to 12 hours a day of fishing time. And before you begin to think that this is a guys-only event, I will tell you that some women did very well the week of July 21, when I was there¹, and better than some of the guys.

Aside from the fact that your boat is maintained and your catch is filleted, frozen and packed each day, there is expert help on the water if you need it. Doc Warner staff boats are around for help with depth, suggestions for good fishing holes, bait and even tackle.

Traveling from Juneau up the Inland Passage, Doc Warner's provides some great food and great relaxation, even if you stay on the dock. Regardless of why you go, be it a personal meditation thing or because your organization or office had the foresight to create a Doc Warner's excursion prize for you to win, it will improve your sales.

How can it do that? Because it will improve your well-being.

¹Two family members and I brought back 270 pounds of fillets.