Behavior as a Prostaff angler

Are you a Prostaff angler for a company? If not, do you want to be at some point? Then you may want to think about your behavior on social media and what it may say about you.

Are you that guy who talks negative about products? Are you logging into competitor discussion boards and degrading products or telling folks they made a bad purchase? By doing these things you are having not only a negative impact on your reputation but your sponsors as well. There are very few bad products when you look at them as a whole, what they are marketed for, price range they are made for and their intended use. So by bashing the products rather than highlighting where they are useful in your experience you will build a negative image among your peers. 

As a Prostaff member folks tend to look at you as a knowledgeable, respected member of the fishing community. They seek the info that you have learned from either experience or from someone else. By not understanding that you have the opportunity to influence people and their decisions about products is almost irresponsible on your part. It is a prostaffers priority to talk about their company yes, but no where does it say you will talk negatively of other products. In fact most contracts state you will not say negative things. 

So how do you avoid those moments when you think your companies product will better serve this individual then the one they are asking about? That's simple, you compliment the product they inquired about but then use that as an opportunity to talk about your companies and how it may better serve them. This will not only build a better reputation for you but the company you represent as well. 

I have noticed more and more of these situations lately. I really hope that companies are paying attention, Prostaff team leads are coming up with a plan on how to fix this and anglers are learning everyday how to better represent the company's they are staffed by. If not I fear some anglers and companies will do more damage to their reputation than good. I understand this sport is growing rapidly both in anglers and products but but companies need to ensure they have a way to keep these incidents under control. 

Until next time 

Tight Lines and Screaming Reels

EastTNKayakAngler

John Champion