Newsletter: How to Overcome Your Prospect’s Fears 😱 ; Doctors Without Borders, Ikea Partner to Build ‘Giving Room’ 🏠 ; Tom Brady is a Terrible Philanthropist 🏈
The #1 emotion you have to deal with in almost every partnership meeting is FEAR.
The prospect's fear that you're not the right partner
The prospect's fear that you'll make them look stupid
The prospect's fear that you don't know what you are doing
The prospect's fear that a bad partnership will get them fired
How will you address the prospect's fears?
✅ You have to assure the prospect that you are the right partner. This means not only talking about yourself, but also discussing alternatives they are considering and why each one comes up short compared to you.
✅ You have to show them that you've done this before. This is where case studies come in handy. "Look at how we worked with X. It's a company just like yours and look at how successful the partnership was."
✅ You have to share testimonials from others. Just don't ask them to take your word for your past success. Introduce them to others that you've worked with that can confirm your success and your commitment to a win-win partnership.
✅ You have to introduce them to the team that will ensure their success. Introduce them to their account manager and explain the step-by-step process from signing the agreement to executing the program. Let them know that they are not alone!
The point here is that if a prospect's fear is stopping them from moving ahead with a partnership, then you need to find a way to address it.
Doing this requires the opposite of fear: courage. The strength to lead them away from fear and to confidence in you. Good luck! 🍀
✍️ Partnership Notes
1. Sketchers 👟 and Nature Conservancy are partnering on a line of shoes. Check out the fine print on this one (very bottom). Instead of making a donation with each purchase, Sketchers is making a flat donation. It's probably a smarter move as purchase-triggered programs can be a bit unwieldy to manage and they tend to be the poster child for bad behavior in corporate partnerships.
2. So, let me get this straight: Lexus is partnering with Sprinkles Cupcakes to hand out free cupcakes at 20 bakeries on December 2, 3, and 4. When people pick up their cupcake, they are being encouraged to pay it forward via a link found in stores and online by donating to Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Lexus will match donations up to $250,000.
🤔 I love the idea of a car company and/or dealership partnering with a local retailer to raise money. But why not just collect money at the stores instead of pushing people to a link? I'm sure BGCA is getting a good minimum from the activation - if not the entire $250k.
3. To kickoff a two year partnership with SickKids Foundation 🇨🇦, Toronto-based Pizza Nova has created a limited-edition vespa ornament in homage to its Italian roots. Proceeds from sales go to SickKids. They aim to raise $15,000.
4. A good example of phygital (combining the physical and digital worlds) cause marketing. Doctors Without Borders and Ikea partner to build a 'Giving Room' .
🤑 Marketing Your Cause
1. 8 unconventional ways to land press coverage . #4: Create trending assets. Journalists always need assets to go with their stories: images, videos, data, and case studies. Make it easier to work with you by providing them!
2. Big Duck wants you to rethink how or if to celebrate your anniversary . This is a pet peeve of mine. I just don't think people give a rat's ass about how long your nonprofit's been around. They're more interested in your impact and what you are accomplishing.
Of course, Big Duck's thinking on the subject is more nuanced.
"Milestone celebrations tend to lend credibility to specific audiences—for example, those most closely aligned with your organization."
3. 7 inspiring content marketing lessons from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. 🦃 #1: Steal, steal, steal.
😎 Cool Jobs in Cause
1. Vice President, Corporate Initiatives, Alzheimer's Association , Chicago, ($220k - $250k)
2. Director, Corporate & Cause Marketing, American Humane , Washington, D.C. ($85k - $120k)
3. Account Manager - Partnerships, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital , Memphis
4. Corporate Partnerships Manager, America Needs You , Remote ($60k)
🧠🍌 Brain Food
1. Nonprofits consider leaving Twitter .😔
2. Tom Brady is a great quarterback, probably the best evahh. But he's a horrible philanthropist. Here's the latest example .
I've been writing about Tom's stinginess for over a decade. Check out my 2017 article in HuffPost . It links to another article I wrote way back in 2010. Some things never change.
3. Need a pep talk today? Kindergarteners at West Side Elementary in Healdsburg, California created a motivational phone line called Peptoc. Give it a ring! You can select what kind of pick-me-up or motivation you want.
I tried it and 😍 it! 707-873-7862.📞
