Gone fishin'

I know it's hard to believe, but pretty much everything you need to know about marketing you can learn from watching a bass fishing tournament.

The very best guys at this sport do the research on the lakes they'll be fishing, know where the fish should be and have the tools to receive constant feedback when they're on the water.

They tune their motors, boats and propellers to gain every speed advantage so they can get to the hot spots first. They cast quickly and accurately dropping their lures inches from their intended target. And as conditions change, they change their tactics, locations, and lures until they get it right, knowing full well that what works today may not work tomorrow.

And that, in a nutshell is good marketing.

Do your research, know the market conditions and develop a plan of attack.

Get into the market quickly, testing a lot of different tactics as efficiently as possible, gathering feedback along the way. When you find something that works, commit to it.

Then when conditions change (and they will) be ready to move in a different direction quickly.

Oh, there's one more lesson we can learn from the BASS pros: it doesn't matter how silly you look, as long as you win.