The Dakota Way documents the exact process and procedures to follow to become a world class fundraiser. Based upon 28+ years of fundraising experience and having trained many Dakota fundraisers on its four core principles, The Dakota Way is the one book that provides a clear blueprint to follow to achieve outsized fundraising success.
The Dakota Way is written by Gui Costin, Founder and CEO of Dakota who has been fundraising since 1997. The four core principles detailed in the book are exactly what the team at Dakota has followed to raise over $30 billion and develop numerous highly successful sales people.
The Dakota Way is a time-tested system for streamlining your investment sales process. It is far more than a sales technique; it’s a philosophy and a process, as well as a mindset that has been meticulously codified into four core principles.
Create a sales plan, get agreement on what good looks like, and regularly schedule time to report progress against the plan.
Identify your TAM, Create the right email with a clear call to action and implement City Scheduling.
Open the meeting with a two-minute overview hitting the key points, move into Q&A on your investment philosophy and process, and end by asking the two tough questions.
Pick a CRM, enter all scheduled meetings and call notes, create Past Activity Reports to create sales triggers, and create Opportunity Pipeline Reports to create additional sales triggers and report progress against your plan.
Gui is the Founder and CEO of Dakota, a financial, software, data and media company based in Philadelphia, PA.
Dakota’s flagship product, Dakota Marketplace, is a database of institutional investors used by over 6,000 fundraisers and over 1,400 global investment firms.