5 lessons corporate fundraisers can learn from sales teams
“I have never worked a day in my life without selling. If I believe in something, I sell it, and I sell it hard.”
- Estée Lauder
Good corporate fundraisers are good sales people. They may be selling social change, the chance to make an impact, or a good feeling – but they are definitely selling.
With this in mind, Peter from Remarkable Partnerships is pleased to share the five essential sales techniques that every corporate fundraiser should learn.
Create intrigue
When Greggs decided to launch their first vegan product, they knew they needed to ignite an already crowded market. To create an element of intrigue, Greggs used a marketing technique called “drop culture” to launch its vegan steak bake.
Using teaser videos, they announced something big was about to happen. When it launched, flagship stores were given huge physical adverts and their “vegan steak bake finder” tool went on Gregg’s website to help customers buy the in-demand product.
The launch was a huge success. As well as winning many marketing awards, they increased their year-on-year sales by 13.5%.
This case study shows us the power of curiosity. As a corporate fundraiser, we encourage you to offer your prospects an idea, without telling them what the idea is until they meet you. The power is in the intrigue.
Help your prospects discover their pain points
Steve Jobs once said “It's not the customers’ job to know what they want."
Successful companies understand that in order to sell anything, you must first understand who your customers are and what problems they are facing. By acting as a consultant, rather than a salesperson, you are better able to solve those problems.
When Steve Jobs set up Apple, they understood that consumers found technology both confusing and unreliable. In response, Apple revolutionised the way people view technology: creating a simple and consistent experience across their products. The rest is history.
So when talking to your corporate prospects, find out what their key pain points are. Then when presenting your partnership idea, tailor your idea to the problems that your prospects are trying to solve.
Sell with stories
Telling stories is one the most effective sales techniques there are. By telling stories, you connect on a personal level and provide an insight into your “why”. The most successful salespeople are able to make their audience feel an emotional and personal connection – hence the saying “people buy from people”.
A good story grabs their attention, motivates them to take action and most importantly is memorable. A study by Stanford professor Chip Heath found that 63% of those tested were able to remember stories, while only 5% could remember a single statistic.
Become an expert closer
As the famous sales mantra goes, sales is simple as ABC. Always be closing.
The most important part of the sales process is closing the deal. Everything else leads to the close – the result. It is important to practice reassuring hesitant prospects, helping buyers organise their thoughts and reaching their own conclusions.
In order for you to become an expert closer, consider using the following methods:
- Assumptive close - in the assumptive close the aim is to be assertive and not aggressive. You achieve this by moving the negotiations forward under the assumption that your prospect is ready for partnership, and tackling any hesitations as they come up.
- Pros and cons - listing the pros and cons of your partnership helps your prospect organise their thoughts. It also allows you to determine the key elements that are important to them.
- The time-limited offer – this method can create a sense of urgency in the negotiations if the buyer is hesitant and wants to consider alternative options.
- Summary close - by summarising all the options discussed, you provide the prospect with the opportunity to picture what your services may look like before making a decision.
Understand your prospects communication style
High performing sales companies develop their people to build better and more meaningful business relationships by using four simple colour profiles. Using the “personality insight model”, they build communication models based on four colours:
- Fiery red = Competitive / demanding / purposeful
- Sunshine yellow = Sociable / dynamic / enthusiastic
- Earth green = Caring / encouraging / sharing
- Cool blue = Questioning / precise / formal
These colour profiles provide insight into how people want to be communicated with. Rather than using trial and error, sales teams are able to mirror their prospects’ communication style and quickly develop stronger relationships. For example, for social sunshine yellows they will spend lots of time on the phone, whereas with formal cool blues they will stick to emails.
We recommend you think about what colour profile best represents your key contacts and mirror their communication style. You will start to see results instantly.
To learn more about how to create and secure major corporate partnerships, check out our upcoming new business crash course.
