Story
No More Transactions
STOP TRANSACTIONS.
Most (all?) non-profits act like they’re in the ‘TRANSACTION business.’ They process checks. They spend 80¢ on the dollar to acquire names. They treat everyone as a ‘number.’
TRANSACTIONS provide no meaningful support. No real engagement. No real involvement. A transaction suggests one-time ‘gifts’, usually small, requiring no further loyalty or support.
START BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
What Business Are You In? You are in the RELATIONSHIP ‘business!’ Everything in your model and process should be built upon a foundation of RELATIONSHIPS – ‘LIFETIME,’ if possible.
Martha Rogers and Don Peppers, the two gurus of one-on-one relationships, define it best:
“A relationship is:
- A Continuing Series of
- Collaborative Interactions
- Inherently Unique to the INDIVIDUAL PARTICIPANT.”
Continuing … Collaborative … Unique. If you buy into that definition, it’s pretty easy to distinguish a relationship from a ‘transaction.’
“There is only one rule for financial success: You must know the difference between a LIABILITY and an ASSET.” -Robert Kiyosaki, Rich Dad Poor Dad
“There is only one rule for financial success: You must know the difference between a TRANSACTION and a RELATIONSHIP.” -Tom Suddes, For Impact Corollary
