Q:  In taking the Point of Entry^® on the road to the offices of busy people, how do you suggest handling the Follow-Up Call, Cultivation Superhighway^™, and finally the Ask? In many cases, if they are high-level executives, we're doing well to get our foot in the door for an initial meeting and may not have other opportunities for interaction.

Sandy in Texas

A:  Stick with the model and resist the temptation to fast-forward right to the Ask. The first visit needs to be a virtual Point of Entry—what we call a Point of Entry in a Box. If it is in their office, ideally you will have two people from your organization there, one of whom is a board member. Listen closely for cues about what aspect of your work most interests them. Ask a few questions to get them talking so you can see what lights them up.

Then make the one-on-one Follow-Up Call and have two to three more cultivation contacts focused on their particular interest area—such as a meeting with the science teacher, volunteering in the science lab, or attending Mad Scientists' Night at a school.

The Ask can then be done either one-on-one or at the Ask Event^™. By then, you will know your donors well enough to know their preferences.

In other words, don't shortcut the process of the model—even for super busy high-level executives who will become major donors.