Every summer during my childhood we would take a fishing trip seven miles off shore. We would get up when it was still dark and motor for over an hour hoping to get to the spot early. It was a grind, but these coordinates always hit. We would catch dozens of fish every single year. But there was always one part that confused me: chumming.
Chumming is when you take bait fish, chop them up and throw them in the water. The idea is that the smell of the fish will attract more fish that you want to catch. Cutting up the chum was the grossest job. Guts, blood and frozen fish bits went everywhere and the whole thing had a disgusting odor. The strangest part was that you would never know if it worked. You could know if a lure worked, but the chum was a mystery. Maybe it attracted some fish, maybe not.
It’s kind of like a Super Bowl ad. It might entice some people, but you never really know. Chumming might make sense for big brands, but it probably doesn’t for small folks like us.
We need to use the line and lure. We need to build direct connections with those we seek to change. It’s scary because you might hear “no,” but it’s a hell of a lot better than waiting for someone to smell the chum and find you in a crowded ocean.