Sure, we all want to be safe – not risk guaranteed income – not “bet the farm” on something that we’ve never done before. But sometimes our testing mentality can compromise our bottom line. Seriously.
Last November we did a Major Donor Proposal for a prospective client. This is a proven strategy that we have done across clients for a number of years. However, this prospective client was determined to do a split test: our strategy and creative straight up against theirs.
The ministry had done a traditional year-end package that they seemed quite satisfied with. However, they were “interested” in what we could do with Major Donors at calendar year-end – how much money we could raise – how our creative would compare to theirs. So we did a split test.
“More than we could ever ask or imagine!”
I go to the Ephesians 3:20 faith declaration whenever I’m totally blown away. And this is one of those cases. Our proposal exceeded their control in every way:
Response Rate: 144% better
Average Gift: 137% greater
Gross Income: 481% more
Net Income: A whopping 499% greater than the control
Bottom line – if they would have “trusted” instead of “tested,” they would have received approximately $XXX,XXX more year-end income. Sure, all that is “water under the bridge” – but I wonder what wasted opportunity will be floating by this year-end?
Next week’s blog post: Repeat Yourself and Double Your Dollars!