![\"friendly-sales\"](\"https:\/\/causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/friendly-sales.jpg\")
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\u201cHave a minute to save a life?\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone dreads the canvassers who wait in the middle of the street and call you down to press you for donations<\/a>. Most people make a point of avoiding eye contact and pretending to be on their phones. It\u2019s not that we don\u2019t want to help, but we don\u2019t like that kind of high-pressure fundraising.<\/p>\n When fundraising one-on-one, how can you get people\u2019s attention with a more effective touch? Here are some pointers on fundraising from the new approach to selling, according to the book To Sell is Human, <\/i>by Daniel H. Pink.<\/p>\n With the Internet just a smartphone away, you can answer any question you have and do your own shopping with the tap of a screen. You don\u2019t need a salesman.<\/p>\n Nonprofit fundraising has the same issue. People don\u2019t need your help in finding<\/i> a nonprofit or a cause to support. But they do need some help in finding the right one to connect to<\/a>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s well known that we buy from people we know, like, and trust. We also support people within our tribe. So your goal in any fundraising interaction shouldn\u2019t be to convince or persuade right away, it should be to connect with your donors.<\/p>\n Here are a few ways to do that right now:<\/p>\n Instead of taking the lead on persuading your donors, see if you can get them to convince themselves to take out their credit cards.<\/p>\n Most donors expect to be attacked with demands for funds and declarations of how great your cause is. Catch them off guard with some friendly selling questions. Instead of acting like the know-it-all, ask they what they would do, how they would best like to contribute to the cause you are championing, and specifically:<\/p>\n Example questions<\/b>:<\/p>\n One friendly selling technique that can help your potential donors see their way to a donation is through the correct framing. A frame sets a particular way of seeing a situation. With the right frame, you can get donors to highlight positives or make a favorable comparison.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a great example. Studies have shown that simply telling donors they are among the top in terms of donations will cause them to give more than they would otherwise. Simply by labeling your donors as excellent supporters, they will live up to that label.<\/p>\n Another useful frame for fundraising is the potential frame. This means emphasizing what your nonprofit is capable of doing, talking about your possibility, more than just what you have accomplished. People get more excited by possibilities than they do about proven track records and will often overestimate future performance compared to what\u2019s been accomplished.<\/p>\n To use this friendly selling tactic in your fundraising messaging, use words and phrases that emphasize future growth or potential to make a big change. You can (and should) still demonstrate your viability with previous successes, just don\u2019t dwell on them. Use them to show how things in the future will be even more amazing.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t force your donors to figure out their own way to your donation button. Make it clear what has to happen for the next step to occur.<\/p>\n Even if you are just reaching out, provide everyone you talk to with the following in clear and simple terms:<\/p>\n When they get where you want them, make sure it\u2019s painfully obvious what they need to do or what they need to click.<\/p>\n If you’re interested in more of Daniel Pink’s psychology-based approach to sales and business, check out this Harvard business Review webinar<\/a> or this interview:<\/p>\nPay Attention<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Ask Great Questions<\/h3>\n
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Set the Right Frames<\/h3>\n
Provide a Roadmap<\/h3>\n
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