“Did I Fly All The Way Here For This?!”
Seth Godin, in his usual effortless way, raises a point that’s so obvious, but still makes you think.
Talking about rising fuel and other "transaction" costs of air travel, he observes that if you’re going to get on a plane these days and travel to a distant conference or sales meeting, it had better be one hell of a meeting!
I’d add mere driving to a meeting!
The harder it is to get there, the higher the expectations. We can all see where this leads in terms of traveling to make a fundraising pitch or to see the brass at headquarters … if it’s really worth doing at all, these days it had better be spectacular in terms of preparation, presentation, and potential results!
But it got me to thinking … where else have expectations been drastically raised? And become commensurately more difficult to meet?
Well, what about getting a major donor to part with a significant contribution? Or fighting through the clutter and competition to get a mere $25 via direct mail or online?
What do you think? Is it getting harder to raise a dollar? If you think so, why is that?
More competitors for the dollar? More skepticism amongst donors? Higher demands for "proof" of effectiveness? A less generous donor pool (for what reasons)? Despair over the intractability of major problems?
Is it getting harder?
Tom
One response to ““Did I Fly All The Way Here For This?!””
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