When you are scheduled to visit a major gift prospect, are you getting your sales approach in order? Or instead, should you be preparing a buying strategy?
If your fundraising committee asked you to buy a few thousand dollars’ worth of prizes and gifts for your next event, you would probably clear your schedule, right? Especially since it would be a fun activity. But as soon as the many sales clerks started approaching you asking if they could help you, your response might be “no thanks, I’m just looking.” But are you just looking? No. What you are most likely saying is that you do not want to be sold. You want to enjoy “buying” these prizes and gifts on your terms. You want to be the one in control. What if, instead, the clerks engaged you in a conversation rather than ask to help you? Wouldn’t you then ask them for help and direction? You get to maintain control of the encounter.
Now let’s think about that prospect you are about to visit. If you create a buying approach, the prospect will hear ways that they can “buy” something for your non-profit rather than “selling” them an opportunity.
Recently, I developed a “buying” opportunity for a client. We took pertinent information from a previous conversation and focused the meeting on what the prospect said in relation to the mission, not what we would have chosen. By the end of the strategic conversation at their meeting, the prospect asked the development director, “So how can I help you”? What a great way to lead into the request for their support. No awkwardness about when you should ask. Wow… your prospect is buying, but you have remained in control of this meeting all along!
Are you ready to change to a “buying” strategy, rather than trying to sell them on what you do?
Written by John Corcoran
