Fish In An Ocean Vs. Fish In A Lake Vs. Fish In A Barrel

An analogy for building a sales, prospect, or idea pipeline:

You probably want a very wide net to catch fish in the ocean.

You probably can use a pole with the right bait to catch fish in a particular lake.

There’s a reason they say you can shoot fish in a barrel.

Some critical analysis:

Shooting into the ocean takes a ton of luck. Even with a pole and the right bait, in the ocean, you’re limiting your opportunities (which is ok if it’s on purpose, ex. “whale hunting”).

Likewise, a wide net might be overkill for the lake. Without as much ground, err water – to cover, proper bait and technique might be more appropriate. The gun is still asking for a lot of luck.

Once the fish are in the barrel, just pick the right tool to finish the job. This is about skill and efficiency.

Depending on the fish we are trying to catch and the body of water we are trying to pull them from, our strategy and tools should look different.