Bluefishing: The Art of Making Things Happen, by Steve Sims
A short book. Loaded with practical tips. We are busy but always looking for an edge, so we like our books that way!
Bluefishing, by Steve Sims, introduces the business owner and entrepreneur who reads this book to a new verb coined “bluefishing”. The book explains what bluefishing means and embodies in the context of how to build a business principally in terms of an upgraded level of how to provide great client service and how to build great relationships.
On second thought, “verb” may be the wrong way to describe what bluefishing actually is. Better put, and paraphrasing the author, Steve Sims, bluefishing means raising your own standards, going above and beyond in all your relationships and being authentic, raw and even a little bit ugly in how you go about things.
Steve Sims, the author of this book and founder of Bluefish, a company that helps its clients live once-in-a-lifetime experiences like golfing with Tiger Woods and even supersonic military jet flights in Russia, shows us throughout the book how if one follows “the bluefishing playbook” they can set themselves apart and really find some great business and personal success. We want to share some of our favorite practical advice from Bluefishing with you. We picked the ones that have proved to be incredibly successful in our own investments and businesses.
Some Practical Advice for Your Business from the Bluefishing Playbook
Always think in win-win
This might immediately jump out to you as negotiating advice or a negotiating tip. But, that is not what we are talking about here (if you want that, read our favorite book on negotiation).
Rather, here we are talking about win-win in the client and business relationship. Bluefishing teaches us that in the case of sales and working with clients, you will have incredible success if the value of the service or product that you provide meets or, even better, exceeds the meaning of the cost of that product or service to the client. You win because your client is happy and you have provided your product or service in a profitable format. Your client wins because they feel like they got incredible value and an irreplaceable experience.
Do you have the ability to provide that kind of value proposition to your clients? If not, it should become a focus. Remember, nothing that you want is ever going to happen for you if it only benefits you.
Be impossible to misunderstand
We love this Bluefishing quote: “Don´t be easy to understand, be impossible to misunderstand.” How many times have you come across a business and not understood their advertisement, value proposition or even what they were selling? The worst thing a business can be is confusing. Be impossible to misunderstand when you communicate your value proposition.
Build real connections
Businesses hide these days behind emails, social media campaigns and automated messages. Clients still want, especially in the high-ticket, more luxury-goods space, a personal touch and to be treated like humans. All this technology, of course, helps automate our businesses and facilitate the innumerable number of tasks and administrative items we must handle. But, when it comes to client service, real client-service, picking up the phone, writing letters (versus emails) and meeting with people face-to-face will never go out of style. Prioritize these human-to-human touchpoints in your business so that the people critical to your success – customers, suppliers, partners and investors – can associate you with a real connection. Bluefishing, again, as we learn from the book, is about just doing this little bit extra. There is value in standing out, going the extra mile and being a little bit different.
There is beauty in imperfection
Picasso’s work became popular only after he started painting two eyes on one side of the head. People find beauty in imperfection. Bluefishing encourages us to be raw and authentic in our business lives and to go against cookie-cutter norms. Is your personality buried beneath “what you should be doing” in your business?
Find your advocates
Do you ever go to a restaurant or watch a movie these days without reading the reviews no matter how good the menu looks or how exciting the trailer is? Every business needs its advocates. These advocates will be your most powerful form of advertising. Do you have your five advocates yet?
Bluefishing in Your Personal Life
- People crave experiences. An experience that you can give someone, more than money or gifts, can stick forever. Think about how you can give the gift of experience.
- The power of how to say no. Make “no” your default so that you can focus on the truly important.
- Apply “the chug test” for everyone. How nice would it be if the only people in your personal and professional lives were those who you would actually be willing to chug a beer with?
- Sponge it up. Be willing to get in uncomfortable situations and look dumb. Be with people smarter than you. Have hard conversations. Take chances. Stretch. Be a sponge. Be vulnerable. Aim to be a sponge as often as possible and get just 1% better. Once you expand your capacity, like a rubber band, you never go back to where you once were.
- Advertise to people how you are improving and how that personal development will benefit them.
- Don’t count your losses. Just move forward. Take pride in scars. They mean you are learning.
- Let people know you are thinking about them. It goes far.
- Be selfish. Take the time you need to recharge. It will be good for everyone. Defend it.
Why You Should Read Bluefishing
We didn’t know what to expect from this title. What we found was a great book of practical advice from a successful entrepreneur. You will as well. Get your copy of Bluefishing to build a business that really stands out and foster the real connections in life that matter.
Final Thoughts
Bluefishing is like many of the books that we aim to introduce you to. If you read it, and can pull just one piece of advice from it and then take action on that advice, it will be worth your investment of time to read the book and the few dollars to get your copy. We think in terms of return on investment always. You won’t be disappointed with the ROI from this great short read.
Click here to get your copy of Bluefishing on Amazon now!
