Whales, Minnows, and thoughts on selling

I once heard an analogy about selling that compares selling to fishing.  The story advises sales people to go after the big fish because that is what will yield the greatest return.

After all if you catch a thousand minnows, what do you have, a bucket full?  On the other hand, catch just one whale and you have a ship full.

This story is far from complete though.  First of all, only bait stores would be interested in catching minnows and they probably don't catch them but farm them.  Secondly, consider the cost of catching, transporting, and processing one whale?

A better place to be, especially for a small business, is somewhere in the middle.  For example, for a single fisherman or a crew of two or three, catching hundreds of a variety of edible fish seems to make sense.  If you depend on whales, what happens if you don't catch any?  On the other hand, if you fish for a variety of fish, your chances of success seem greater.

Selling requires a lot of common sense, just like fishing.

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