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When People are in Mourning, Don’t Try to Sell!

October 16, 2014 by Dennis Fischman 4 Comments

Thank you to everyone who expressed their sympathies on the death of my brother Ron Fischman.

And no thanks to the sales rep who called my dear wife Rona the day after Ron died…and wouldn’t take no for an answer.

We heard the news of Ron’s death on Wednesday, October 1. On Thursday, a company that does business with Google called Rona about her business page.

“Good morning, Rona, and how are you today?”

“Not very good, actually. My brother-in-law died yesterday.”

“Oh, so sorry to hear that. I won’t take much of your time. I noticed that your company had recently moved. Would you like help changing your physical address on Google?”

“I don’t want to buy anything today, but if you can help me with that, let’s take a minute and do it.”

“Great! I also want to tell you about the SEO services our company can offer your business.”

“What? Did you hear what I just said? What kind of monster are you?”

And the sales rep hung up.

Whether you’re selling a product or a service or asking for a donation, when someone is in mourning, just stop. Period. “I’m sorry for your loss, and I’ll call back another time” is acceptable. Nothing more, not one word.

If common decency isn’t enough reason, think of this: do you want people to think of their loved one’s death every time they think of you?

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Does Your Audience Want to Hear Your Song?

September 22, 2014 by Dennis Fischman Leave a Comment

You can’t give it away for free–unless your audience wants it.

That’s the lesson the band U2 learned when they allowed Apple automatically to download the U2 album Songs of Innocence to 500 million people’s iTunes accounts without permission.

Many people didn’t appreciate the free gift. In fact, Apple’s move stirred up what one critic called a “tsunami of whinging.” The company was forced to create and send out a tool for removing the album from its customers’ devices. It was a PR blow for both the company and the band.

U2 should have known better..and so should we. Not everybody’s a U2 fan. Not everybody is devoted to your cause. Find your audience, give them what they want to hear, and you’ll have them singing along with you.

 

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The Worst Way to Lose a Donor

September 4, 2014 by Dennis Fischman Leave a Comment

Does your organization care whether I live or die?

If your donors can’t instantly answer “yes,” you’re in trouble. So, the way you handle your data is not a technical issue. It’s vital to your relationship. Vital–literally, as in life or death.

My friend Rosie just wrote an angry note to the university her son attends:

I would be much more likely to feel “excited… for the start of the school year” for my son, or even to respond positively to the rah rah e-mail that you just sent me if you hadn’t addressed it to me and my late ex-husband!

We were divorced. That’s in your records. We have not shared a home for more than 9 years, let alone an e-mail address. And he has been deceased for 6 years (That’s in your records, too). He has not been alive the entire time our son has been a college student.

I have been through this with you before. Last time, you assured me that it would never happen again. Grrr.

Rosie is not a donor yet. She’s still struggling to put her son through school on a single parent’s income.

But when the university asks her for money in the future, what do you think she will remember? The great classes her son took, or the anguish she felt every time she opened an email and saw the name of the man she married, divorced, and buried?

To you, it’s just a database. To your donors, it’s what you think of them. Make sure you treat your data with the same respect you’d treat a person.

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