Initial Cause Prospect Meeting: Attendees
If you have a choice about who attends the first meeting with a cause prospect, don't bring your boss, a board member, or your president, do everyone a favor and leave them back at the office — at least [more…]
Initial Cause Prospect Meeting: Bringing Your Questions
It’s crucial that you understand the cause marketing prospect’s needs and goals and ask smart questions at that first meeting. Here are 15 questions that always come up in meetings and lead to productive [more…]
Initial Cause Prospect Meeting: Support Levels
While sponsorship and cause marketing are both win-win, they’re different in several important ways. One is how sponsorship programs frequently have levels of support [more…]
Initial Cause Prospect Meeting: Better PowerPoints
With PowerPoint, people have gained the ability to share presentations on a screen or in a handout. But as was true with so many other advancements, something powerful has been given up in exchange. [more…]
Closing the Cause Marketing Deal: Thinkers
Closing the deal with cause marketing prospects involve one of three types, Thinkers are analyzed here. The mainstays of thinkers are facts, figures, and logical arguments. These folks pour over numbers [more…]
Point-of-Sale Program Success: Secret Shoppers
A great way to keep cashiers on their toes and asking shoppers to support your cause at the register is secret shoppers.You’ve probably heard of secret shoppers. These hired guns masquerade as everyday [more…]
Closing the Cause Marketing Deal: Deferrers
Of the types of cause marketing decision makers, deferrers are the most fascinating because they’re people of compliance, trust, and faith. Deferrers don’t linger over the pictures like a feeler or pour [more…]
Free Giveaways in Cause Marketing
If you can’t sell something, try giving it away. That’s what King Gillette, the inventor of the Gillette disposable razor concluded. Giving away his razors is how he grew demand for his new invention when [more…]
Cause Marketing in Real Life: Product (RED)
While the cause marketing effort Product (RED) is aptly named for the victims of HIV/AIDS with infected blood, it also covers the two reactions people generally have to the cause. Either they’re red-faced [more…]
Avoiding No from Cause Marketing Prospects
Are you getting cause marketing prospects closer to yes, or are you just giving them an excuse to say no at every turn? Here are just some of the ways causes sabotage themselves: [more…]
Cause Marketing Prospect Touchpoints
In working with a cause marketing prospective company, you always want to find ways to make it less transactional and more meaningful. That’s where touchpoints come in handy. [more…]
Selling as the Key to Your Cause Marketing Success
Accepting the fact that cause professions are all in sales is tough to stomach because they see themselves as “fundraisers” or in “development.” Call yourself what you want, but whenever you’re trying [more…]
Getting over the Cause Marketing Prospects that Got Away
A lot of prospects will say no. It’s a fact of selling anything, including cause marketing. There’s a big difference between a prospect that says, “No, not right now” and “No, I can never see us ever working [more…]
Winning Cause Marketing Proposal Preparation
Most prospects like to see some type of proposal when you pitch them on a cause marketing program. But consider yourself warned: Proposals are a crutch for seller and prospect alike. The seller uses them [more…]
Point-of-Sale Program Success: Pinups
Pinups are an important cause marketing tool, which is why they are a key focus of your point-of-sale program. They should be on your shortlist of programs for many reasons: [more…]
Point-of-Sale Program Success: Simple Messages
Cashiers asking customers to support your cause is critical to the success of your point-of-sale pinup program. If there is no ask, your chances of success drop sharply. [more…]
Point-of-Sale Program Success: The Power of One
"If I look at the mass, I will never act. If I look at the one, I will."
— Mother Theresa
Human beings have a basic flight-or-fight response to imminent danger, which forces primitive minds to limit its [more…]
Point-of-Sale Program Success: Setting Limits
Limits are key to your success in cause marketing. If your cause marketing donors don’t feel their support will make a difference or make them feel good, they will “avert their eyes.” Seth Godin,the marketing [more…]
Avoiding Unnecessary Cause Marketing Signage
With any cause marketing promotion, there’s a temptation to produce additional signage and materials to promote the program. Resist it. They don’t work. Posters, fliers, and buttons are fodder for failure [more…]
Point-of-Sale Program Success: Coupons
Always try to include coupons on your cause marketing point-of-sale pinups. They have an immediate value at the register when cashiers are asking shoppers to support your cause. [more…]
Cause Marketing in Real Life: Coupon Booklets
For 33 years, New England–based Papa Gino’s and its sister company D’Angelo have been using coupon booklets to raise money a buck at a time for two causes: Easter Seals and The Genesis Fund. What’s always [more…]
Point-of-Sale Program Success: Managers Are Key
Nothing will determine the success of your cause marketing point-of-sale program more than store managers. Their commitment to the program will keep front-line employees engaged and asking customers to [more…]
Point-of-Sale Program Success: Incentives
The short story is that incentives do work — if you know how to use them. If you’re launching a point-of-sale program with a new partner, follow these tips: [more…]
A Sample Cause Marketing Incentive Program
Here’s an example of an incentive program which has been used with a partner. This retailer divided their stores into four groups so that stores were competing against other stores of equal size and foot [more…]
Point-of-Sale Program Success: Free Incentives
You should never pay for cause marketing point-of-sale incentive prizes. There are too many easy and good places to get them for free. Here are some proven strategies: [more…]
