From the Return Customer blog, a great post on what you need to know to be good at selling stuff: 4 Keys to Successful Customer-Centric Selling.
Here are those four keys, adjusted into our world of fundraising:
- What donors want. Not what you want.
- What donors need. Sometimes, we offer donors something they never knew they wanted to do until they saw it.
- Donors' language. Our jargon is not persuasive. It's usually not even comprehensible. Be sure to communicate the way donors understand.
- Donors' fears. Probably the biggest fear of donors is that their gift will not do what they want it to do. They're afraid we're anything from con-artists stealing their donations to stumble-bums who try to get it right but fail. Help them believe otherwise.