If you’ve been reading any of my posts, you keep hearing how wonderful it is to collaborate with a nonprofit. You’ve learned some of the benefits, the reasoning behind it, how to choose your nonprofit, and did I mention how wonderful it is?
But it doesn’t always work.
Wait, what? Sheryl, you’ve been telling us how amazing Cause Marketing and standing for something is. You’ve told us how it can help us stand out from the competition, attract our tribe, grow our business… were you lying?
Not at all. However, there is one circumstance where supporting a cause won’t make a whole lot of difference in your business.
Here’s a quick excerpt from my forthcoming book, Do Good to Do Better: The Small Business Guide to Growing Your Business by Helping Nonprofits. I’ll be back when you’re done to explain what sparked this blog.
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Differentiate Yourself from the Competition
When I work with a website client, one of my first questions is always, “What makes you different from the next (fill in the business)?”
The first round of answers usually goes something like this:
“We focus on customer service, really going out of our way for our customers.”
Or
“We have high-quality products.”
Or (my personal favorite),
“We are very communicative. We respond to emails, phone calls, FB messages…”
Have you ever spent any time in the online dating world? I have, and while there are some quality folks out there, I could write a book about the Island of Misfit Men that I’ve met through those sites.
Let me give you an analogy based on those experiences: Saying that your business is focused on quality, customer service, and actually getting back to people is like putting, “I have a job, a car, and I no longer live in my grandma’s basement” in your dating profile.
This. Is. The. Bare. Minimum.
If your customer service is a joke, your product is terrible, and you don’t respond to phone calls or emails, please put down this book and go fix your business. No amount of working with a nonprofit can help you if you suck.
Phew! Sorry to get a little hardcore on you there but it had to be said.
Now, assuming that your business does not suck, what makes you different?
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Welcome back. Do you get it? While it’s wonderful to support a cause at any time in your business journey, you won’t see the real benefits of aligning with a nonprofit, until your business is in good order. If your product or service isn’t very good, and your customers hate you, supporting a charity isn’t going to help you very much (and it might even make the nonprofit look bad).
Why did I decide to write about this today?
Last week, I was invited to a charity food and wine event here in Las Vegas. My friends had an extra ticket, I like both food and wine, and the evening was open. It was a match made in heaven.
I met up with my friends, exchanged some hugs, and then we got to the business at hand… eating everything in sight. I don’t want to torture you, but it was DELICIOUS! I had my first taste of risotto (yes, I’m almost 40 and I love every carb ever, and I’ve never tasted risotto), had a few desserts that I would consider marrying, and the wine… excuse me as I wipe away the drool.
Anyway, I’m going to change some names here, partially because I don’t want to get sued, and partially because I honestly don’t know what non-profit we were supporting. We shall call the non-profit “Help for Some People” or HSP. The sponsor, was an airline. We will call them “Airline” (creative, I know).
About halfway through the evening, we found ourselves standing in a line to get wine sippy cups. If you’ve ever tried to have wine on a picnic, these are essential to not wearing your drink.
We stood in line and quickly found out that they were being given away by Airline in exchange for a quick survey. Sure. I can answer some questions. Airline wanted to find out:
1) What my feelings were towards their brand
2) When I found out that they were a sponsor of this event
and
3) If knowing that they were a sponsor, made me any more likely to fly them in the future.
Do you know what they forgot to ask? If I’d flown them before and enjoyed my trip. They neglected to find out if I liked them a month ago and if not, why.
You see, I just flew Airline to Maui. And they were AWFUL.
I arrived safely, relatively on time, and with my luggage. To be fair, this is my basic judgment of any airline. However, once those needs are met, I’d really enjoy being able to breathe on a flight, having the opportunity to upgrade, and if I don’t have to spend my entire vacation trying to get the kinks out of my neck and back from being stuffed in like a sardine acting like a pretzel… well, that would be just fantastic.
But alas, that was not the case. We were told (rather snottily, I might add), that we had chosen the economy seats and those were not eligible for an upgrade. Never mind a free upgrade – we couldn’t even pay for one. I’m not super tall but I do have long legs. The people sitting in front of me can probably attest to that as my feet were poking out from under their seats. And I think the only reason they were able to, is because I don’t think economy comes with a flotation device under your seat. Thankfully, I never found out if oxygen was included.
Have I made my case? Are you getting it? I had no room and spent about 15 hours of my life (going and coming back) in a position that would make a contortionist wince. And on top of it, their customer service was awful.
If Airline’s survey had asked why I felt a certain way about the company before I walked into the event, they would’ve found out that I wouldn’t recommend them to my worst enemy. Actually, maybe I would. But I’d work out a deal with my chiropractor beforehand so I could get a kickback for anyone I sent to him.
This airline made the assumption that sponsoring an event, supporting a cause, and standing for something, could make up for the fact that their business just sucked.
They. Were. Wrong.
Make sure that the service you provide is solid, that the product you sell works, and that your customer service doesn’t leave your customers wanting to curl up in a corner and rock. You can support a cause and get behind a charity to help them achieve their goals before you get your ducks in a row, but don’t expect it to provide the same boost to your business as it will when your existing customers are happy.
Want to learn more about supporting a nonprofit? Visit www.dogoodtodobetter.com and download the first two chapters for free. You can also find more information at www.sherylgreenspeaks.com/blog.
About the Author
Sheryl Green is a New York native living and thawing in Las Vegas since 2008. After years of begging for money to support animal rescue, she discovered Cause Marketing and her life was forever changed. She now brings her knowledge of storytelling to non-fiction and content writing, working with businesses and individuals who want to position themselves as experts in their field and differentiate themselves from the competition. She is also the co-founder of the Cause Marketing Chamber of Commerce.
Sheryl is the author of 4 books and serves as the Director of Communications and Cuddling for Hearts Alive Village Las Vegas. Learn more at www.sherylgreenspeaks.com.
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