270 likes | 435 Views
Bagging the Elephant. The process of finding hard-working elephants (business leaders) and selling them on working with you. Bagging the Elephant. Orphaned while young. An Elephant’s Tale. Left jungle for Paris Befriended an old lady Goes to school (Sorbonne) Goes to Elephant Realm
E N D
The process of finding hard-working elephants (business leaders) and selling them on working with you Bagging the Elephant
Orphaned while young An Elephant’s Tale
Left jungle for Paris Befriended an old lady Goes to school (Sorbonne) Goes to Elephant Realm Former King dies Named the new King Creates a new charity An Elephant’s Tale
Major competitor – the leader of the rhinoceroses Leadership style --benevolent autocrat Corporate structure – public company, profitable, global Elephant’s Business
Dress – formal business attire • Leadership team • Old lady • Elder elephant counselors • Monkey • A friend Elephant’s Business
Meeting and engaging executives is difficult work The Hard Facts
It takes personal and organizational discipline and . . . rofessionalism lanning atience rocess resentation ersistence P The Miracle Six
Meeting and engaging executives is difficult work Planning Considerations Executive Director
Position your organization effectively? Select a target that fits your resources? Avoid the big mistakes? Maximize your time and your target’s too? Train your staff to embrace the Miracle Six? How Do You?
Meeting and engaging executives is difficult work Planning Considerations Recruiter
Map out and navigate through the elephant’s corporate structure? Find internal champions or coaches to guide you through the corporate jungle? Build strong alliances within the target organization? Understand the decision making process and the elephant’s appetite for volunteer work? How Do You?
Positive attitude Dress for success Going to Grandma’s manners Dale Carnegie has a point Accountability Be friendly Be yourself Relax Professionalism
Finding the Elephant Research—trade journals, SEC filings, annual reports, Internet, Dun & Bradstreet, Who’s Who, competitors, the library Create a plan— Who, what, when, where, why and how BE REAL Involve your entire staff Learn from your mistakes Planning
This is a marathon, not a sprint Rejection is part of life You will make mistakes It will take time to refine your research, planning, process and presentation You will become more professional, polished and sophisticated over time If you are persistent, over time you will win Patience
It’s critical Create a process you can use again Project planning techniques are useful Process
Sample Planning steps Research—data base creation Introductory mailing Phone Call #1 Meeting—prepared presentation— follow up, commitment No meeting—detailed mailing, Phone Call #2, meeting No meeting? Repeat Process Planning
Always have something specific to say Never discuss the weather or “check up” These are busy men and women Use a Volunteer Contact Sheet Always learn from every phone call and meeting Phone Calls (Not a P)
Keep it simple and short Focus on key elements – avoid shock and awe data dumps Focus on benefits to your elephant – show you know your elephant Remember you and your elephant speak different languages – learn another Presentation
Trial closes and closes Identify the commitment you seek Ask for a commitment Try never to leave a meeting (or a call) without a commitment—even a small one As your relationship evolves, seek greater commitments Practice closing regularly Presentation
Never, never, never give up Persuading a busy executive to invest his or her time by volunteering can be a long-term “sale” Follow up, Follow up, Follow Up Persistence
To make any “sale,” it takes personal and organizational discipline and . . . rofessionalism lanning atience rocess resentation ersistence P The Miracle Six