What is an “ask”? Well, I’m glad you asked!

The ask is the reason you’re talking to a supporter. It could be as simple as asking for a contribution, but you might also be looking for them to host an event or reach out to their network. Really anything that they can do to support your campaign. Nailing the ask can be the difference between a successful conversation and a lot of frustrating follow up.

“But that’s really awkward!” you say.

It can be, but it doesn’t have to be. We can provide some tips to keep your conversations moving and productive!

Successful calls and meetings have a flow. Leave room for casual conversation and keep things natural, but generally, a conversation will move through these 7 stages:

The Introduction

The first one to two sentences of your conversation with a potential supporter will frequently determine if the conversation lasts more than a few seconds. So you need to make it count! You need to tell them:

Who you are
What you’re running for
Why you’re running
Why they should support you

It’s a lot, but lets try it :

The Pitch

Your intro worked and the prospective supporter wants to know more! The pitch builds on the information from your introduction by adding more detail and urgency. This stage is more conversational; play off the tone and cadence of your prospect.

As a starting point, dive into your personal connection to your platform, how your bio qualifies you for office, and how the race is winnable (everyone likes being on the winning team!).

Above all, be concise! Every call is on borrowed time, so make the most of it.

The Hard Ask

Perfecting when, exactly, to make the ask will require a bit of experience to get a feel for it. But generally, it will be after you’ve provided more information on the content from your intro.

A hard ask is concise, concrete, and has urgency. This isn’t the time to be shy!

Let’s take a look at an example:

“I need to raise $5,000 by Friday to fund my next piece of mail. Can I count on you to donate $250 to my campaign today to help us hit our goal?”

This ask:

Contextualizes the amount of support
Informs the prospect about what they are investing in
Creates urgency with deadlines for both them and the campaign.
Most importantly: It asks for a specific amount of money!

Let me make that last point a bit clearer: NO NUMBER = NO CONTRIBUTION

“Can you help me out?” is asking for $0

Pause (the secret weapon)

After you make your hard ask, pause.

Seriously. Don’t say anything util they do.

Have they responded yet? No? Keep the silence going.

Embrace the silence.

Love the silence.

The silence after the ask probably feels a lot longer than it really is. But if you talk first, you’re in a position to assume what their hesitation means.

Frequently, candidates assume silence from the other end means “no” and start negotiating themselves into a smaller contribution before the donor says anything at all.

If they want to support you, they will tell you, even if it is at a lower level than you asked for. Let them talk for themselves!

Which brings us to...

Closing the Deal

The donor you’re talking to is going to basically say one of three things:

“Yes! I’m in!
This is obviously the best response; you got to “yes” and you have an official pledge!
If they said “yes” quickly, make a note of that. They are either really enthusiastic about your campaign, or the ask was well within their means.
You’ll want to know that in a few months when you re-solicit them and tell them about all the great things you did with their last contribution.
“You’re great, but that’s too much.”
You came in high on your ask. That’s ok! You haven’t gotten a hard “no” which means there is a deal to be struck here.
You can either come back with a smaller amount (try about 25%-50% lower to start), or ask the donor to break their contribution into monthly amounts.
Monthly contributions put your campaign on “autopay” and even if you’re taking less in now, you may end up with more before Election Day.
Work with the donor to find an amount that works for them and their budget!
“No, thank you.”
No’s can be frustrating. But there may be hope, yet.
Try to figure out if this is a hard “no” or actually a signal that your ask was too high. Use the same techniques from the last slide and see if you can make any progress.
If they aren’t moving, make a note of why. For example, if they are supporting another candidate in a primary, there might be interest if that candidate drops or you become the nominee.
The hard truth is that some people just aren’t going to give. And that’s ok! You have enthusiastic supporters in your list waiting to talk to you!

Technically, they could also hang up on you, too. But they would have likely already done that if they were going to.

The Follow Up

Companies spend millions reducing “friction” in online sales - getting the customer from “I want that!” to actually spending money as smoothly (and quickly) as possible.

When you have a pledge, that’s your job too.

You, or a staffer, can have ActBlue waiting and take their card information right there on the phone.

Or, make sure a follow up email goes out right away. Thank them, remind them of how much they pledged, and clearly provide a link to donate. You can even set the link to auto-fill their pledge!

The Conclusion