Are You Fishers of Men?

Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on January 25, 2009 under Connecting Moments | Be the First to Comment

 

I just got home from church and was moved by a story within the sermon.  The scripture from Mark told of Jesus gathering his disciples from the beach.  “Come and follow me,” He said.

The story told of four ways we might be fishers of men or of people – a more inclusive term.  I tell the story here on Make or Break Moments because I believe there is a correlation to the ways in which we drive traffic to our business. 

The story shares four ways to gather followers:

1. A man sits on the beach sunning himself in a beach chair with a barrel by his side. His method of fishing?  If a fish happens to jump out of the water into his barrel – he’s happy to take him/her home.  I can remember managers who would tell me that if I could just get customers to the door, they would take it from there.  They weren’t willing to reach out into the community – they preferred to sit back and see what happened on its own.  Kind of like singles who sit at home looking at a silent phone, hoping someone will know they are available.  I gotta ask, “How’s that working for you?”
2. The second fisherman has a pole, with a hook and bait and periodically catches fish.  The fish aren’t sure why they were caught.  They don’t know where they are going or what is in store.  They just know there was a shiny fly or a tasty morsel or a great loss-leader discount that drove them to shore.  Will they come back a second time?  Well, since they don’t know why they came the first time, chances are you’ve only caught them for that one moment in time. 
3. The third fisherman has a net and captures hordes of fish, dragging them kicking and screaming to the shore.  Again – no clue as to why they have been caught.  They just know they’ve been told “it is good for you” and so they come, resistant and resigned.  Perhaps you are in the healthcare industry and customers are forced to come to you to stay in network.  Or maybe you are a retailer with exclusive rights to a product (Best Buy’s rights to the first week of selling the long awaited Guns and Roses CD).  Are people glad they came or resigned to the fact they had no choice?
4. The last fisherman stands on the shore and calls out “Come with me.  Learn what I have to share.  Tell me your needs.  Let’s work together to find a solution.”  The people come willingly to gather round someone who has reached out to them.  Someone interested in being with them.  Someone who wants to learn more and share what they have to give.

Whether your goal is to bring more people to your faith, to volunteer in your fund raising efforts or to come and try out your services and products…which fisherman will be the most successful in the LONG RUN?  You might catch more people initially with great bait or a big net, but will you earn their loyalty?

As we reach out into our community (within our town or the great global online network) how are you perceived by your potential customers?  Which method would catch you?