What Would It Mean To Maximize This Relationship?

What would it mean to maximize this relationship?

Think about this question.
Use this question to gather information.
Use this question to drive strategy.

It is very different from these questions:

What do you think the prospect will give?
How much should we ask for?

These second questions lead to short-sighted prospect information, under-asking and engagement at the wrong level. We want engagement at the highest possible level.

If you ask your team, “How much do you think Mr. X will give?”
You might get an answer like, “$50,000.”

If you ask, “What would it mean to maximize this relationship? What could Mr. X give if he understood our impact? What could Mr. X give if he loved this vision? What would Mr. X do if he woke up in the morning driven to make this vision happen? If it were his number one priority?”

You might get an answer like, “Anything he wanted to.”

The point? It may not be about a $50,000 gift (think: transaction). Think big. It’s about maximizing the relationship. It’s about that $1M or $5M investment in the vision. These are two different dynamics all together.