How to get anything you want through Strategic Communication
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What do you want in life? A promotion that you’ve been waiting on for years? Maybe you want to raise money for your nonprofit foundation? Or, perhaps you want to earn a grant for academic research?
In order to achieve what we want in life, we need a plan. But, we also need to understand strategic communication. That is, communication that ultimately satisfies a long term goal of yours.
The key difference between communication and strategic communication is that there is an agenda.
This applies very well for business partnerships. When businesses go into partnership with each other, they are both looking to fulfill their agenda.
They have self-interests, needs, and values, just like any individual, and we need to tap into those.
In order to get what we want out of life, we need to think through four things:
1. Identify your goal
Simply put… what is the goal you want to achieve?
Let’s say that you are courting a potential donor. This donor has a lot of money and connections that could greatly benefit your institution.
How do you want to use this donor’s money? What about their connections?
Perhaps you could use their money to build a new building, or you could use their connections to change laws that benefit your cause.
This stage in the process is the only stage where you can think about yourself and your needs.
Here is a simple framework to think about your goal for raising funds:
E.C. which stands for Evergreen Community
Will these funds/connections prolong our institution’s existence significantly? Will these funds/connections allow us to serve our community(customers) at a greater capacity?
Ultimately, we need to think about our long term strategic goals, and then communicate that tactfully (and after we have built rapport) to the potential donor, employee, reporter, lobbyist, customer, etc.
2. Understand your audience
After we have identified our goal, we need to understand our audience thoroughly.
What are their greatest desires, what are their fears, what are their motivations?
Do they desire power, money, influence, PR, happiness, Love? Do they believe in a higher power? What do they value, and where is your common ground?
In strategic partnerships with companies, this is a little easier because we can find the companies desires on their website? But, either way we need to build a personal relationship
By learning about, and understanding our audience we learn about their needs and interests. This greatly informs us in the process.
3. Play to self-interest
Everyone has self-interests. Some are nobler than others. In any case, we want to learn about those interests. Ask them, “what do you hope to get out of this relationship?”
Even anonymous donors want something, be it internal recognition for their efforts, a thank you card, or something like offering them a board seat.
Maybe they want you to name a building after them, or would like great PR for their company. Whatever the case, their self-interest will tell us what their need is.
4. Fill the need
How can you help them fill their need? Maybe they own a business and want to earn PR. Can your communications team contact newspapers, blogs, podcasts, radio shows, and more to tell them about their generosity?
Do they want influence over the institution? Offer them a board seat if they have made an equally important investment in your institution.
How can you help them achieve their goals, and fill the need?
At the end of the day, these 4 steps are simple. But, like everything worth doing, they are anything but easy. It takes great practice to become skilled. But once you do, you can create such amazing change in this world and benefit so many people. Good luck.
Example
A simple example of this is when asking for a promotion. You want to progress your career and earn more money. That is the goal. You are a great performer and everyone knows it. So you prepare to ask for a promotion from your boss.
Your boss has wants and needs. They want recognition, maybe they want a promotion too, or they want someone that they can totally rely on. Maybe they have a mortgage to pay or need to repair their home?
They have values too. Diligence, compassion, altruism and others. Where do your values align? Take them out to lunch a few times and learn from them, learn about their career path, their goals and dreams.
From there, how can you help them achieve their desires? Ask them, put a plan together, and present it to them. Contact a builder that could help your boss out (maybe you pay for it. Maybe they have a side business that you could promote? Help them help you. Part of your job is now helping them achieve what they want. Do whatever it takes (barring anything unethical or illegal).
Fill the need. If you are a good employee AND you can help them achieve what they want, there is no reason to say no to you.
