Richard Perry and Jeff Schreifels of Veritus Group ask a very important – if not somewhat uncomfortable for some – question…
“Is your organization [campaign] a conversational narcissist? You know the type. Every letter they send is all about what great work they’re doing and how awesome they are. It’s like you, the donor, aren’t even part of the conversation! They just keep talking about themselves. And you start to tune out.”
Candidates who are conversational narcissists appear everywhere, up and down the ballot. Here’s an example of how one recent campaign fundraising email opened up (name withheld)…
“I shouldn’t be alive, Friends. When I was serving in Afghanistan, a roadside bomb blew up under the gas tank of my vehicle. I burned alive for what felt like an eternity as I came to terms with my mortality. I thought it would be the end of me, but by the grace of God, I survived.”
A follow-up email a day later opened with…
“Throughout my life, God has blessed me with people who have always had my back. The soldier who saved my life, the doctors and nurses who helped me recover from my injuries, my wife, my children, and now you, Friends. You may have heard me say that the life I live is not my own. That is doubly true for this campaign.”
A couple days later…
“Friends, I’ve never taken the easy road. But the easiest thing I ever did was decide to run for Senate. That’s because through every struggle, I’ve had faith that I was fulfilling God’s purpose for me. I feel the exact same way now.”
And a couple more days after that…
“I’ve been blessed with some truly incredible people in my life. My soldier who extinguished the fire and saved my life when I was sure I was going to die. The doctors and nurses who helped me through thirty surgeries as I recovered from my injuries. My wife and children who are my greatest joys through all of life’s challenges and blessings.”
I, I, I, I, ay, yi, yi!
Granted, it’s one helluva a personal story by a true American hero, however…
If you want people to vote for you…
If you want people to donate to you…
If you want people to volunteer for you…
Your campaign messaging must be about THEM, not you.
Don’t be a conversational narcissist.