I wanted to explore the word ‘mantra’. Google pushed me to wikipedia. Wikipedia defines mantra as: a group of words that are considered capable of “creating transformation”.
I’m going to give wikipedia the thumbs up on this one, that’s a pretty powerful definition. A mantra is also something you REPEAT. It becomes ingrained. It rolls off your tongue. Perhaps it’s the embodiment of the phrase which leads to transformation…. I digress.
I’ve been encouraging people to think about ‘Champion/Invite/Invest‘ as a mantra… a phrase in their back pocket they can pull out when someone asks, “How can I help?” This mantra would be instead of 1) having no answer or 2) just blurting out some other mode of engagement hoping an even stronger indication of interest will appear in the future. Problem is, the prospect is asking the question NOW.
You can simply say, “Whenever I’m asked that question I tell people there are three things they can do that will have a huge impact: Champion. Invite and Invest.”
- Champion! Be a champion for [insert cause or org]. We need voices. I would love to be able to leverage your name and call upon you when needed for endorsement.
- Invite! Someone connected you to us. You were gracious with your time because of someone else’s insistence. This is how we’re going to make this plan a reality is by asking people like you to help us share the story with others. I would love to be able to talk to you about what that might look like. It’s pretty simple.
- Invest! Everyday we change lives. We people ask about how to help I’m not shy about letting them know they can make a financial investment that will change lives… tomorrow. This means something different to each person. [We ask everyone to consider an investment that is commensurate to his or her own financial situation and passion for the mission.] Is that something we could talk about?
Champion/Invite/Invest provides a simple and quick answer. It invites the relationship to move forward in the appropriate way. Often someone is saying, “I’m ready to write a check.” If you’re not sure, just talking about the investment and getting permission really helps with confidence and therefor accelerates the dialogue. At worst it gives you a roadmap for the relationship.
If you keep this mantra in your back pocket I’m pretty confident in its ability to ‘create transformation’.