Don’t be transactional.

If you’re looking to build a long term relationship with a client, don’t be transactional.

What do I mean? If you’re a nonprofit, you have a program and you need participants. Yes, you want to serve the community, but in order to do that, you need people to come in your doors and ask for help or you don’t get your grant renewed. And if you’re a business, you want people to feel just as comfortable walking through your doors.

So you go out into the community. You set up a table at a community event. You have pamphlets, applications perhaps, and candy or swag like pens, pads, stickers… whatever. The problem is, this is what sets up the transaction. It’s clear to the person heading to your table that you want something from them for the swag. Even if you tell them to take it with no obligation (and they will), that is the assumption.

Please stop this practice. Your goal at community events should not be to get applications filled out or to hand out pamphlets or gain email addresses. Your goal should be to get to know people, learn about their lives, their hopes, frustrations, and yes, their needs. But get to really know them as a person. Your table is like your kitchen table. You have a guest. Welcome them into your home and enjoy their company. Swap stories. Laugh.

Set up a game for kids so you can have a casual conversation with the parent or caregiver. Have something interesting and interactive for a person to do while you talk with them. Yes, you can have pamphlets or applications behind the table, but your goal isn’t to hand out the pamphlet.

People you spend time with will get to know you and trust you over time. And they will come to you when they need to and be happy to refer friends and family to you because they know and trust you.