Nobody wants to hear your sales pitch

So says Steve Yastrow in his latest newsletter (well worth signing up to) and his comments apply equally to fundraising:

“I don't care how amazing you are, how unique your product offering is or how much better you are than your competitors; nobody wants to hear your pitch. If you launch into your elevator pitch, your customer will tune out well before you're finished. He'll start thinking of his next appointment; he'll look for his car keys in his coat pocket, and he'll make a mental note to call his assistant to check on something, all while your mellifluous adjectives and well-turned phrases bounce off the elevator's walls, unnoticed by anyone but you.

“Instead, think of how to have a 30-second elevator conversation, in which you engage your customer and judiciously bring in pieces of your elevator pitch at appropriate times. This means that you can't tell your entire story during this short meeting, but that's okay. Your objective is not to close the sale, but to earn the right to have another conversation.”

How many of your communications and interactions with donors try to educate, preach or shout rather than converse, interact and engage with them?

Make sure you’re listening to what your donors are saying and then reflect this in your communication with them.