If You Can Order at Starbucks, You Can Ask for a Gift

David Sternberg

It seems I always hear the same response from board members when I ask why they’re reluctant to ask for a contribution: they are unsure of what to say. They seem to believe there is a magic set of words that all board members should know.  If anyone out there knows those words: share them with me, please!

….I didn’t think so.

But never fear.  While waiting in line at my local Starbucks recently, I realized that asking for a gift is very much like placing an order with your local Barista. I know, this is a little off the beaten path, but stay with me here….

Back to my line…there are two customers in front of me. The first orders a “Grande Pike, no room.” For you Starbucks newbies, this is a cup of coffee without any room left for milk or cream. Are you having the same thought I did? Why go to Starbucks and order a cup of black coffee? This seemed underwhelming to me and frankly a bit disappointing. Come on, why go at all? Brew coffee at home! For purposes you will see in a minute, let’s call this the “black cup.”

The next customer orders the following:  “half-caff, two shot, three-pump, sugar-free caramel, 120 degree, Venti latte.” Again, let me translate – a large latte with sugar-free caramel flavoring that has two extra shots of espresso, but is one-half decaffeinated, all served at precisely 120 degrees. Come again?

Now I’m thinking, this is way too much pomp and circumstance. Sure, I see why you need to get this at Starbucks rather than at home, but it seems excessive to me. It is over the top. It left me with the “something this good cannot be true” kind of feeling. Let’s call this “the over-the-top.”

So now it is my turn. I stand confidently and order:    “Venti sugar-free vanilla soy latte.” Again for the Starbucks averse: that’s a large latte with sugar-free vanilla syrup using soy milk rather than regular milk. Yes, I love my latte but my order is clear, concise, neither too long nor too short. It says I need to be here and I have a need! I will call this the “perfect cup.”

After my epiphany I decided to use my newfound approach at a board training for a client. I asked board members to imagine they are placing an order at Starbucks but rather than order coffee, ask for a gift. We then rated each ask and placed them into one of three categories – the black coffee, the over-the top latte, and the perfect cup.

Guess what happened? The asks that were placed in the “perfect cup” category were voted the most compelling.  As one board member put it, they were just right, without any magic. There are no magic words. Just make a compelling and heartfelt case and you will be surprised what you get in response.

I encourage you to use this exercise at a board retreat. When you do, make sure you have coffee on hand. In the meantime, what is your favorite hot drink?