To many fundraisers, nothing is more terrifying than making a cold call.
It was no surprise, then, that attendees at a recent conference flocked to a session on this very topic. The speaker—who had the daunting challenge of making cold calls for a living—made this unenviable task seem like something all of us could do. And, believe it or not, he even made it seem fun.
Who was this guy? And why had he chosen this job? Was he someone who just loved talking to strangers? Or had he been a little freaked out when he started and had worked through his issues? I may never know his origin story, but I imagine he had developed some specific strategies to help him achieve his goals.
It is commonly believed that inspiration drives success, but what if we’re wrong about this? Perhaps the conference speaker flipped that logic and instead behaved his way to success.
As ultra-endurance marathoner Rich Roll explains, “mood follows action.” Instead of waiting for motivation to strike, Roll will force himself to move his body, and he finds that this will shift his perception. It’s the act that motivates him, not the reverse.
Perhaps the conference speaker arrived at the same conclusion. My hunch was that he, like Rich Roll, was a master of habits. He probably had a certain time he started his cold-calling each day and a method of going about his work that resulted in success. After all, habits are learned behaviors that we regularly practice, and this guy apparently had landed on a winning formula.
But not all of us are great at developing habits. Just look at our success at New Year’s resolutions. Research reveals that nearly all of us—91 percent—abandon our plans by the end of the year.
So what happens if, despite our best efforts, we have trouble forming habits? Chances are we’re aiming too high. Sometimes it’s best to break it down into smaller steps, according to Stanford behavior scientist, BJ Fogg. If your objective is to walk three miles a day, start with what Fogg would describe as a tiny goal, perhaps walking around the block. Then build up to your desired intention.
Fogg is also a fan of habit stacking, which is adding a new behavior after a habit that is a staple to your routine. For example, I began using a water jet after I brushed and flossed my teeth. The existing habits, brushing and flossing, served as a powerful prompt for the new one.
Habits—even the mundane ones—carry us through the day. But our success at the big stuff, like our work, also depends on good habits. The conference trainer made a difficult job look easy because, I suspect, the tasks required for success had become part of his daily routine. It got me thinking: what fundraising behaviors could improve once they became a habit? Here’s a few to consider:
Taking Initiative: The session at the conference was packed because initiating contact with a stranger is something that is widely feared. BJ Fogg’s advice about tiny steps serves as an inspiration. Don’t resolve to tackle your entire call list in one session; instead, build a habit by starting with just one or two calls each day. Devote a time and habit stack it. When you start your workday, get a cup of coffee and check your emails. Then make one or two calls. You’ll be amazed at the results. Even if you committed to reaching out to just one person each day, that would be roughly 20 contacts you made in a month.
Prioritizing work: Each day, we face a myriad of tasks and obligations that call out to us. What we choose to prioritize, though, will determine our success or failure. Make a habit of conquering your most important goals first. Besides getting them out of the way, these accomplishments will give you momentum to get through the rest of the day.
Setting goals. Research shows there is a strong connection between goal-setting and success. Psychology professor Gail Matthews found that people who wrote down their goals were 20 percent more likely to accomplish them than those who didn’t. Other studies found that specific and challenging goals led to much better success than easy or “do your best” goals. Make a habit of not only setting goals but regularly reviewing progress to keep you on track.
Improving follow-up. It’s understandable: time slips away and we’re all crazy busy. It’s easy to put off something that isn’t urgent, yet those small tasks—returning a phone call, writing a thank you note, providing an update—often will determine your success. Consider setting aside a certain portion of your day for follow-up. Start with dedicating a small amount of time and then increase the duration, if needed.
Your list may look different from mine, but the important thing is to identify those habits that will help you improve your performance.
I leave you with this: habits can be good for you. They lead to better management of your activities and goals. They reduce stress and anxiety by offering structure and predictability. Finally, habits increase self-esteem by improving your life and providing a sense of achievement.