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Two big challenges often hinder getting the desired results
from your youth group fundraiser. How do you generate a strong sales
response and create an avalanche of demand?
These challenges are two sides of the same coin. The keys
to motivating your sellers and captivating prospective buyers both involve
running a quality program.
How do you generate a strong sales response?
The first key is stimulating an enthusiastic response
amongst your sellers. To quote Emerson, "Nothing great was ever achieved
without enthusiasm." Creating enthusiasm in your sales force requires
meaningful incentives. Prize awards should be attainable and desirable. Those
prizes should be clearly linked to individual sales goals when the program
is rolled out. Each seller needs to stand up and announce their sales
goals and desired prize(s) to their peers.
The second key to enthusiastic participation is fostering
intense competition. You need to create rivalries between small groups
and offer daily rewards for big sales volumes. The best individual
performers should be recognized and ranked daily in a public way to
further stimulate performance. Make sure that all your sellers know the basics - make a
list of prospects, rehearse your sales script, smile, make eye contact,
explain why you're raising money, ask for the order, and say thank you.
Having all your sellers well versed in executing all the basics will
double your results.
The third key is to keep it fun. Fun should always be part
of fundraising. Don't make it drudgery to be a sales participant.
Remember that they're giving up their free time to help. Plan fun things
to do during each stage of the process that reward a seller's involvement.
Plan a party for the end of your fundraiser. Recap the
goals and the results. Recognize the top sellers in front of their peers.
Thank everyone for their efforts. Remind everyone of what the funds they've helped raise will
provide for your group. Reinforce their enthusiasm and commitment with a
surprise reward.
How do you create an avalanche of demand?
Maximize value to maximize your results. Make this your
mantra. More value means more prospects. More value means more buyers.
More value means more money! State a value proposition. Sum up the specifics of what
you're doing and why in two sentences or less. State exactly what your
fundraiser is about. Make it a compelling call to action and fit it into
your sales script. Leverage the power of "because." Use the word "because"
when stating the group's goal and your first request for help. It's an
extremely potent trigger word. "We need your help because our band needs
new uniforms." Ask for the order. Always include a direct request for an
order in your sales script after the because statement. "Can you help us
meet our goal?" Personalize by picking favorites. Tell each seller to find
one or two items that they like and promote those enthusiastically. "These
green ones are great." Make it easy to buy. Do everything you can to make buying
your offering easier. Offer to fill out the form yourself. Remind the
prospect that a certain item makes a good gift and that it's all for
a good cause.
Take the time to put
together a quality program for your youth group. By combining the
enthusiasm of youth with scripted sales efforts and quality offerings,
your youth group fundraiser is primed for success. The resulting avalanche
of sales will
demolish your goals and exceed your wildest expectations.
Youth Group
Fundraising!!
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About The
Author: Kimberly Reynolds is
the author of
Fundraising Success, a
best
selling ebook on fundraising. You can read
more of
her
fundraising
ideas on her website, FundraiserHelp.com. |
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