By Brian Lacy
Watching the production line at work at phonathons on many college campuses, I have observed lots of thorough, well organized systems for calling, connecting, conversing, and tracking results of the calls that are made. I have seen even modest sized colleges take the information they gather and use it to bring about significant increases capital giving, major gifts and annual funds - and sometimes even planned giving. The power of the telephone connect, especially when organized as a highly structured and intensive campaign, is tremendous.
Yet I regularly come away from a phonathon experience feeling as if there has been so much left on the table. Why? Because I hear so many awkward conversations, ill conceived asks, and over-rehearsed "pitches" that there are times I cannot continue listening. I have heard or watched too many good prospects defer a call, say "not this year", or even hang up the phone on student callers, paid staff and even Trustees, as they carefully follow their script call after call after call.
But isn't the script everything in a phonathon? Well...it is actually, very important. In fact, creating a strong and effective script is one of the highest priorities in preparing to have multiple callers approach your constituency. Truly, it isn't the script itself that is likely to fall short, it's the training that goes with it that often leaves much to be desired.
Most callers, regardless of age or other life experiences, quickly become comfortable rather wooden when they have a script to read from. They need lots of repetition in practice before they get on the phone with the first live prospect. Of course they need lots of feedback and good coaching as well. After they have then made an initial set of calls, they should also receive a good bit of additional training to make adjustments for the real life situations they are experiencing.
This is challenging, as every call has a small life of its own. Yet there are some subtle points that should be reinforced for every different situation a caller encounters.
First and foremost is empathy - how would you feel about what's being said if you were on the other end of the call? The most asset for any solicitor is the ability to see the conversation from the other person's perspective. Of course, none of us can do this fully - not even close really. But there are lot of general and ordinary perceptions that are formed from things we say.
Second, and nearly as important, is the recognition of what it means to be talking by phone rather than in person, and not to use this as a shield or an excuse for poor communication. The person who takes your call should feel as if he or she is talking to a long lost friend - really. Over and over again donors say that they gave to their alma mater in response to a phone call when the caller reminded them of someone they knew in school, or memories of places, events, classes, etc., that stuck with them years later.
Training callers is not an easy task. For most people, picking up the phone, calling someone they have never met, and asking for money is quite uncomfortable. It should be. It isn't natural. At the same time, it is something, given the common ground that will exist between the caller and the prospect, that lends itself to adaptation once a person is properly trained.
You need help building the kind of phone skills in your callers you need to improve your results. Brian Lacy & Associates are among the nation's leading experts in phonathon training. Contact Brian Lacy today for a free consultation on phonathon training for your staff and volunteers today!
