While every candidate is, by definition, a politician, what you want to demonstrate is that you’re not the “typical” politician.
In the minds of an increasingly cynical electorate – and not without good cause – the “typical” politician stands for nothing, breaks his or her word, and is only in it for themself. Few believe anything a candidate or the candidate’s campaign says.
In the private sector, manufacturers and service providers overcome such buyer skepticism and hesitation with guarantees; often money-back guarantees.
Risk-free, unconditional guarantees provide a lot of very useful benefits…
- They build trust
- They offer reassurance
- They differentiate you from your competitors
- They help “rationalize” a buying decision and reduce “buyer’s remorse”
- They keep you accountable
So why not, as a candidate, offer a guarantee?
Indeed, can you imagine the positive effect you’d have with potential donors if you ended a solicitation letter with something like this?
“I guarantee that I will never vote to raise your taxes, and if I do, I’ll not only immediately resign my seat and never run for public office again, but I’ll give you double your donation back.”
Is that a guy who’s going to raise your taxes?
And if high taxes are your issue, would a guarantee like that in a fundraising pitch give any prospective donors a tremendous comfort level in contributing to your campaign?
Now, for such guarantees to have any power, they have to be specific and unequivocal. You can’t guarantee that “if elected I’ll work hard every day.”
I mean, come on. That’s what “typical” politicians say.