Like it or not the most profitable fundraising always has been and always will be one on one solicitation. You incur zero costs and get larger donations. It’s in the trenches fundraising, face to face, true salesmanship. If you’re uncomfortable with the thought of salesmanship and asking for money, get over it……times have changed……..it’s no longer something the other guy is good at and not me….it’s something you’ve gotta learn to do and do it well.
Prior to getting into the world of fundraising, I was in sales for a number of years with Motorola. Exceeding quota to make bonus money was a 7 day a week, 24 hour a day goal. You slept, ate and dreamed it, because you knew that was where your real money was made. I did everything possible to exceed it, from the mundane to the extraordinary. Several times in order to catch up with prospects who had big bucks to spend but little time to meet with me, I’d flash my lights behind their car and pull them over. It was the ultimate sales call and I had the prospects undivided attention, not to mention a huge rush of adrenaline. As I look back I admit that was daring at best, perhaps stupid, but sales were made that way and in my business you couldn’t be too aggressive at prospecting.
When I left the world of sales and started doing fundraising fulltime I got excited, because I found that I actually had more experience in this new field than I thought. Fundraising is sales…..and we still use the four basic steps of a sale in any fundraising situation whether it’s one on one, events or direct mail.
Step one
GET THE PROSPECTS ATTENTION
“For every tax dollar we send in to the Federal government, our state only gets back 70 cents in federal funding for roads. You can help fight to change that”.
Step two
GAIN THE PROSPECTS INTEREST
This is where you do your homework by knowing what his interests are. Don’t go into a prospects home or office without knowing his “hot buttons”. What issues would affect his business or his family. How does he make his money. How will your candidacy affect him personally.
Step three
CREATE A DESIRE TO CONTRIBUTE WITHIN THE PROSPECT
Tell him how his money will help you win, without it we keep the same old problems. Your contribution will be responsible for radio coverage next week.
Step four
ASK
Sad but true, it’s the biggest weakness in fundraising. It’s the invisible line in the sand that’s timidly approached. I’ve heard all kinds of phrases that are intended to be used to ask for money., The biggest sin in one on one solicitation is when the candidate says:, Can you give me a check for $1,000 or whatever you can afford. That’s what you’ll get…what they think they can afford.
You know you’re being too soft when you’ve got follow up lists of prospective donors you’ve approached but haven’t contributed. That’s the time to re evaluate your closing techniques.
I’ve found being around successful candidates, who excel at one on one solicitation, that they all at some point in their presentation use all of the following rules as they talk to the potential donor. If you use these steps I can attest that you’re closing ratios will increase dramatically. making your time investment really payoff.
I begin again with the most important……
ASK
Ask again and again and again if necessary, follow up skills are essential in one on one solicitation. Unfortunately, not everyone says yes the first time…. But they will say yes eventually. I said that correctly. Everyone will eventually say yes, if you keep courting them and following up…. when they say no, it just means you haven’t told them anything that really affects them personally, (step number two). So put them in your “tickler file” and call on them again at a later date with a different approach.
EXPRESS A SENSE OF URGENCY You’ve got to show a sense of immediate need. We can’t get our message out without raising $10,000 by this evening.
BE SPECIFIC Mr. Prospect, your $1,000 will pay for a billboard on 2nd avenue SW, which will stay up for 30 days. Your contribution will be solely responsible for it’s existence.
DEADLINE. WHEN DO YOU NEED THE MONEY?
We need to make our final payment on our media buy. That payment is due this afternoon. If we make the payment we go on the air tonight and will be on our way towards getting our message out and winning this election. Can I count on your contribution this morning.
HOW ARE YOU GOING TO SPEND THEIR CONTRIBUTION? Will their money pay for a billboard, yard signs, airtime. Let them know what they’re investing in. Would you make an investment without being absolutely sure what your money was buying.
After the request for money is made….STOP… BE… SILENT, don’t babble on….you’re likely to talk your prospect out of contributing. Don’t be afraid of the silence….10 seconds will make you squirm in your seat but don’t give in…..it’s the prospects turn to speak and make a decision. My first time I rounded up courage enough to try this was with a rich Insurance executive at his home in Sedona, Arizona. I asked all the right questions, gave an out of this world presentation, built an interest , hit all the hot buttons and asked my closing questions. I then sat back like I was taught and was silent. It was so silent, the ceiling fan sounded like a prop plane going down and I was the lone frantic passenger. Finally I broke the silence and said, “ Well, what do you think.” My prospect leaned toward me and said, “I think you just lost.” It was a lesson I’ve never forgotten, taught to me by an obvious sales guru.,
Last, overcome any objections the prospect might bring up and then ask again.
Whether they contribute or not, ask for names of additional prospects you can meet with. Your time should be spent closing prospects not finding them.
Make your donors do your prospecting and have them do your homework by finding out the prospects background and HOT buttons.
Unfortunately, even if you’re Zig Ziglar himself, you won’t close everybody. However, you will eventually get a contribution from most qualified prospects you ask. A sales veteran in Fortune 50 sales taught me to never leave an appointment without either a yes or a maybe. Two things happen that way, number one is you don’t feel rejected because they said “NO”, and number two you still have your foot in their door for an opportunity in the future.
The key is having an organized follow up plan in place and keeping all of those potential prospects in the loop of your campaign. Talk to them, court them, treat them well and soon they’ll be sitting with you and the rest of the campaign family.
You’ve got a moral obligation to yourself to build those “one on one” skills and become truly professional. Learning the basic steps of the sale is easy, but putting them into practice is tough and takes a willingness to stumble until they become second nature. Keep practicing. Before long when a deep pocketed prospect says, “here comes that fundraiser”, you’ll prove he’s right..