Nick walks through a visit with a foundation and demonstrates how build Leadership Consensus to validate the plan.
Set Up
Nick meets with a local bank foundation that has a long-time, but unmaximized, relationship with Christian Community Action, an organization that started a campaign but fell short of their goal.
Visit
Debrief
Key Learning Points:
- Leadership Consensus Building – getting long-time funders on board to validate the plan
- Ask questions to determine where their priorities lie
- Get them on board as a champion before the ask, then the ask becomes a natural progression of the relationship
- Nick used specific language that communicated directly to a bank mindset (strategic partner, emphasis on numbers and plan, ect)
- Use the tool to draw the prospect into specific parts that they are interested in
- As a partner, Nick showed that the organization is raising the bar everywhere – that’s why it makes sense for the foundation to raise their bar
- Sell the plan – let them know that we are a sound investment in the future
- It’s about making a commitment to having a lasting impact on the community
Follow-Up
Key Learning Points:
- Roadmap: Predisposition, presentation, follow-up
- Constantly predispose the prospect to the next part of the flow
- Follow Up with prospects, with your organization, and with yourself
- Immediate follow-up letter – “here are the key points we talked about, I have captured and confirmed them”
- Current visit follow-up letter – bullet point format
- You’ve been one of our best partners, strategic match with our priorities
- Ending homelessness
- Strategic partnership
- Confirm follow-up steps
- Give a specific time to follow-up
- Use specific quotes of what they said
- After action report – how did the message work, what did we learn, what do we need to change? It’s a continual learning process
- As sales people, keep the ball in your court – control when you are going to get back to them
