Don’t Sell, Inspire!
Whether you’re selling a product (as in making a sale), yourself (as in an interview), or a cause (as in fundraising), don’t try to sell; try to inspire, and the sale happens itself.
I learned this organically last summer as I made hundreds of calls trying to raise funds for a nonprofit I was on the board of.
Pretty soon I realized that the best calls were ones in which I didn’t even ask for anything; but just told potential donors about the nonprofit’s beautiful story; what we were trying to do; and specific lives we were changing.
When people were inspired by our story, they themselves offered help - before we’d even asked.
I later realized that this is true of interviews too: The best interviewees don’t overtly sell themselves, but inspire you to want to know more about them. They leave the interview with you thinking, “I hope this is not the last time I talk to this person!”
Don’t focus on selling yourself or your mission; focus on the reason why you are where you are, or the reason you fell in love with the mission in the first place.
When you inspire people, they want to be part of your story.
Don’t sell, inspire!
