Development folk are not salespeople.
But, there are elements of selling psychology that can be helpful for development officers to understand.
Enter Wheeler’s Which.
Elmer Wheeler was a sales trainer almost a century ago in Texas. He came up with the well known phrase, “Don’t sell the steak. Sell the sizzle.” He also came up with the notion that every potential customer should be asked to choose between something and something, not something and nothing – Wheeler’s Which.
He was hired by a company to train their soda jerks selling milkshakes to upsell their customers. In this case, the upsell was to add an egg or two (for protein) to a regular milkshake. Wheeler realized that if the soda jerk asked a customer who ordered a milkshake, “would you like an egg in your milkshake today?” the answer usually was, “no, thanks.” (i.e., giving the customer a choice between something and nothing.)
However, if the soda jerk asked the same customer, “one egg or two today?” the answer was almost always one or two. (i.e., giving customer a choice between something and something.)
When a development professional invites a gift, it should be a specific amount for a specific purpose. But that doesn’t mean the gift proposal has to include only a single giving option to consider (i.e., the choice between something and nothing).
Instead, we can present the proposal in a way that gives the prospective donor a choice between “something and something.” Some of the most effective major gift proposals I’ve seen identified 2 (or even 3) specific gift invitations for the gift officer to discuss with the potential donor. Each option with their own gift amount, their own impacts, and their own benefits.
It can be a great way to ask, “which of these looks closest to what you were thinking?”
The best development professionals aren’t salespeople. But they are constantly learning about human motivations, empathy, and decision-making.
