Close the sale! A short post on a big truth.
- Thu, April 07 2011
- Filed under: Marketing essentials
Nonprofit marketing and fundraising friends: Close the sale.
Don’t stop at attitude change. We’re not here to make people believe what we believe. We’re here to persuade them to do things: to live more healthily, do things more sustainably, donate more generously.
Every time you think you have a marketing goal, ask yourself: to what end? You want people to be aware of your cause—to what end? You want them to see a need—to what end? What do you want them to actually do? Ensure your goal is closing the sale, not stopping at attitude change.
What are you at your desk to accomplish today? To put forth an idea or to prompt action? Those are vastly different tasks, with drastically different implications as to how you spend your time. I’m in favor of doing. Devote yourself to making something happen and more things will happen.
Comments
A big truth indeed! I will never forget your comment about the goal of “raising awareness” being like dropping flyers out of an airplane—pretty ineffective. Thanks for another great nugget. 
Love it! Too much work without knowing where we are going. Thanks for the reminder!
RE the cartoon: In my experience (church-related marketing) there is a good-and-shrinking number of loyalists who do give without any effort. This tempts an organization to believe that ignored and unappreciated loyalists will always continue to give [donate, volunteer, attend].
You better think about your long-term goal. Have your tool assessment to avoid that 0%. It’s a shame. Persuade people in a way of positiveness. Study about what people need. And how you can convince them.