Offline Gold / Cash Cow Tip #297: Show THEM The Money!

I figured I would number this #297 since there are currently 296 other threads with "Offline" in the title...

Here's something I found in my experiences that works just as good as depicted in the Jerry Maguire movie:

"Show Your Client The Money"

A friend of mine was campaigning for a Congressman's re-election and he mentioned that they did not have a website. I said "What??? Give me his number, business card, address, or whatever I need to do to contact him and setup a meeting" (this was back a few years ago).

My friend said "How about I setup a meeting for you with his Campaign Manager, and we can go from there". Very cool.

The next week I had a meeting with the Campaign Manager, the Congressman's right hand man...

We had a great meeting, but he warned me that we will need to talk the Congressman into this... since he can be set in his ways, and he has strongly opposed the need for a website in the past, so I was going to have to change his mind.

Well, one week after that, I met with the Congressman along with his Campaign Manager. His campaign manager was not joking... the Congressman was quite a stubborn man, set in his ways, and didn't think there was any need for this Internet crap...

The meeting was not going well, so I said: "How about this, give me a week to put together some research on why you need a website, and let's meet again next week?"

He agreed.

I proceeded to do some research, and found out that a certain other Congressman, turned Senator, had just made big internet news by being the first to raise over $1 million dollars in campaign contributions through their website.

AHA! THATS Why you need a website Mr. Congressman...

I had the hook. Now I just needed to add the line and sinker.

The "line & sinker" was the mock-up website that I put together, with his picture, nice header graphics with pictures of his district, local landmarks, I really went all out, and put together a very nice looking site to show him for the following week's meeting.

When we met the following week, I presented him with a nice binder full of information about other Congressmans & Senators websites, along with an organization that ranks each official's websites. Also included was a list of how much each official's websites had brought in for contributions.

Staggering numbers to say the least.

I then showed him the website I had put together, just so he could see what exactly he was actually buying from me.

Once he knew why he needed a website, he was sold, and then he actually saw the website, was able to mess around with it, click on the links, see all of his Issues listed in neat categories, and an easy way for his constituants could sign up to volunteer, get bumper stickers, pins, lawn signs, or contribute online, as well as a calendar of events that would show his public appearences.

He was blown away.

I had figured out his bottom line... he just wanted to get Re-Elected, he needed volunteers and contributors to make that happen... his website was completely targeted to fit those needs.

It was like I was meeting with a completely different person, by being prepared, and knowing what exactly your client needs, and then showing them the possibilites makes all the difference.

He was like a kid in a candy store playing around with his website... saying things like "So they can signup to volunteer right here? Wow... that's going to be so easy... So they can just enter their credit card info here? Wow!"

He then proceeded to tell his campaign manager to contact all of the places that print his material, bumper stickers, stationairy, lawn signs, everything, immediately and update the graphics with the new website domain name.

Then he cut me a check for 50% of my fees, we shook hands, and had many other great meetings after that.

Yes, he did get Re-Elected.

Jared