Want to increase sales by 11,000%? Want to enjoy 100% customer retention, or how about selling at 100% mark-up? Just send $999.95 to P.O. Box Better Sales Through Hype and you're guaranteed to learn the magic marketing secrets that will push your sales through the roof!

Dream on... If only it were that easy. We’ve built a growing A/V design and installation firm over the past three years, essentially starting from ground zero to the point where we're now one of the leaders in our region. Fortunately, we've done more things right than wrong, always with a basic understanding that everything we do is related to sales and marketing.

From the beginning we've taken the approach that every detail of every project, every conversation with the client, every phone call we field at the office represents a chance to market ourselves with the potential to increase sales.

While some techniques and programs exist that can also potentially help in this regard, we've always tried to define and follow common sense principles, first and foremost, as the basis of our company's sales and marketing effort. Work smarter, and keep the budget in line. (And try to hold on to that $999.95 in the process!).

I don't fish regularly, but enough to see that fishing holds some handy analogies when discussing common sense basics of sales and marketing. I call these basics the "stream principles".

Stream Principle #1: Know Your Catch Are you trying to catch perch, carp, bass, catfish... ? Only after you determine what you’re after can you make other key decisions, such as where to fish and what fishing gear and bait you're going to need. APPLICATION: Qualify your customers and put your sales and marketing focus on those most likely to be interested in retaining your services. "Blanket" marketing efforts, such as sending out mailings to random lists of "potential customers" most often will not produce the desired results.

Better to carefully select your list, tailor your message to that list, and be prepared for personal follow-up opportunities. Do your homework: who are the key decision makers at an organization, what are their processes, what are their primary goals? A personal, individualized approach is your single best marketing tool.

For example, we target sound technicians at area churches and find a way to cultivate one-on-one relationships with them. One effective route has been offering free evaluations of their existing sound systems and then supplying advice on ways they might be able to improve their system - without our direct involvement.

Stream Principle #2: Timing Is Everything

Fish are much more likely to bite at certain times of the day, in certain seasons of the year. One expedition yielded almost 30 fish; in talking later with experienced fishermen, they explained that the time I had been fishing - sundown - was one of the best times to fish in that particular lake.