Dan Reyome is our IC located in Vermont and has been in the fundraising industry for over 17 years. Dan is an expert when it comes to the 1-hour “Sprint” sales. Read below as Dan shares his successes, tips, and advice on why you should run Sprint Sales whenever possible.
Q: How do you decide which group to run a Sprint sale with?
A: Mostly I target High School groups and an occasional middle school group. Older kids
are harder to motivate and so with the coach right there I always have 100%
participation for the one-hour sale. Currently, I target high school sports teams, but
equally band and chorus programs (are larger) and have the same “team” approach as
the sports groups.
Q: How do you structure the Sprint sale?
A: I make it as simple as possible for myself and for the coach. The coach and I meet to
discuss the goal for the team. Usually, it will average 10 to 15 items per player. A prize is awarded when the player hits that player's goal. Simple and easy.
Q: What do you do for prizes or incentives?
A: I bring a prize box and award a prize to the ones who hit that goal set by the coach.
Prizes tend to be accumulated over time and I use those along with the 10ft phone chargers - still very popular. Other times, let’s say I have 40 kids in the group ~ I might only bring 20 prizes. So the first ones to hit their goal (first come first serve mentality) earn a prize. Prizes are limited. Other prizes might include snacks - popcorn and candy bars. Many times the coach will bring in pizza. I recommend that the pizza is handed out either before or after as it can be messy with the order forms. I try to do age-appropriate prizes for my groups.
Q: How did you introduce the Sprint when you hadn’t run a program (yet)?
A: This is a new program we are running in our company and these are some of the results
from groups we have worked with so far. Once you have your own success stories, then
you can share those results from local groups that work with you.
Q: Do you find that this program easily repeats year after year?
A: Yes, coaches that raise a lot do tend to repeat year after year. Especially when it is easy
and simple and not time-consuming for them or the team.
Q: Why do you think your sponsors and coaches like the Sprint vs a traditional sale?
A: The ease of it. The mindset for this type of sale needs to be “get in and get out”. Also
coaches like the quick results and the money raised fast.
Q: Any advice for reps that are new to the business or haven’t run a Sprint 1 hour sale yet?
A: Scary for sure from the start. When I was first introduced to this it was probably a year, before I was comfortable enough to run my first Sprint. The good news is that the group profited twice the amount they set as a goal.
Q: What other takeaways can you share?
A: This program saved my fundraising and gave me a segment of fundraising groups that I
would never have worked with otherwise. Traditionally I worked with large groups such
as schoolwides. I never would’ve called on a basketball team with 20 players. Not
enough production (in my mind initially). You have to trust that the Sprint will work …
bring your own enthusiasm, the coach has to be on board and the players will follow suit.
Coaches tend to be loyal customers
Q: Tell me something about this program that surprised you?
A: Not only do you create the enthusiasm and excitement to do the fundraiser itself, but you
help create a team atmosphere and team building. Some players may not be confident
to make a pitch on the phone to sell something, but once they overcome that fear they
will exceed. One player was scared to death - took her 15 minutes to make her first call.
Once she overcame that hurdle she went on to sell 18 units during that Sprint Sale. This
is a confidence booster and gives every player an equal chance to excel and be a part of
the overall success of the team.
Q: Anything else?
A: The best part is when your group goal sets to raise $1200 and they earn $4000 plus.
You are the best guy in town when that happens. The other thing is that when I do these sales I spend an hour hosting the fundraiser with this group. I get to hang out with the athletes, chat with the coaches and help the team earn $3 or $4k in an hour. Additionally, my commission is pretty good as a result of that hour spent and that helps put it in perspective. If I could run ALL of my business in the Sprint category I would do it in a heartbeat.
Both marathons and sprints
begin and end with a single step.
Take that first step!
