The Authentic Fund Support Partnership

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Partners or Vendors?

Do you ever walk down the street when you’re visiting an unfamiliar city and catch sight of some forlorn looking vendor with a mobile display of goods that are of mild curiosity but not of real interest? The poor fellow makes eye contact, and you easily see that he’s trying to hide his desperation for a sale behind a sad smile. He’s just a “vendor” – doesn’t really belong here, has no right to consider you his target market. That's a vendor, not a partner.

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Why the $10 word, folks?

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The little one is the better choice.

Everyone should have a friend with whom they can silently roll their eyes, in unison, while politely listening to a speaker who chooses overstuffed words that, one would suppose, are meant to indicate intelligence, sophistication, or such. My friend-in-eye-rolling is Sharon Green, and I’ve got to tell you, Sharon’s got way more English language creds than I do. (That said, I can roll my eyes with the best of them.)

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Retain your Customer Base

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But don't expect the work to do itself.

I think we all agree on this: It is less costly and more profitable to retain the customers you have than to convert new ones. Everyone says it, and I think we all believe it. But do we pay only lip service to it?  With competition for attention, money and loyalty, it behooves every company, association and nonprofit to consciously work to retain their current customers.

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"Was" or "Were" - It's more than just numbers

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It's also mood!

You may be forgiven if you no longer remember what Sister Mary Madonna said about “subjunctive mood.” Why, I haven’t had a conversation about subjunctive mood for at least 15 years; I’m pretty sure you haven’t either. But you might sometimes wonder whether your verb should be “was” or “were.” Your first instinct, probably, is to ask whether it’s singular or plural, and that’s smart. (Joe was a baker. His two brothers were bricklayers.) But there’s more to it than that – and it’s a guideline you can learn without using any arcane verbiage.

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Seeking $$ Support? Listen to your Prospect!

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More about creating win-win relationships

Once you have a well crafted message about your organization and the specific marketing opportunity you’re promoting, the real fun begins: As you pitch the opportunity to your prospects, you will have a chance to learn about their business, including their strategic marketing goals.

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