Shooting with buckshot is “spray and pray”. You’re just hoping to get lucky.
Or are you? 😉
Today we went clay pigeon shooting with our group of entrepreneurs in Scotland.
Apparently, there are two prizes you can win: Winner or W*anker.
So there was a little pressure to perform. 😂
It made me think about the classic comparison in sales: are you a sharpshooter or are you shooting with buckshot?
Usually, the sharpshooter gets all the praise while the other approach is dismissed as random.
But after today, I think there’s something missing from that comparison.
Spray and pray means acting without strategy or skill and simply hoping something lands.
But clay pigeon shooting actually requires precision, timing and practice.
You have to track a moving target and act at the right moment. Hesitate for too long and your opportunity is already gone.
The spread helps.
But you still need to know where you’re aiming.
In sales, we often focus so heavily on reaching one specific decision-maker that we forget about everyone around them.
You want to speak to the CEO, so you keep trying to reach the CEO.
But what about the director, manager or team lead who experiences the problem every day?
They might influence the decision, introduce you to the right person or become your biggest supporter inside the company.
Your target stays the same.
But you create several relevant routes to get there.
That takes research, good conversations and consistent follow-up.
So yes, sometimes a wider approach is exactly the smart approach.
As long as you have a strategy and know who you’re trying to reach.
Now there’s only one question left:
Did I win Winner or W*anker? 😂
