Rules for Entrepreneurs #7 – If You Never Ask, They Can Never Tell You "Yes"

“If you don’t really take the time to learn about yourself and improve, you will never realize your full potential.”

-Steven Fisher (2009)

Sure, I guess I can create my own quote book, heck I am creating my own rule book based on a decade of entrepreneurial experiences (good and bad) so I know that if you don’t try and know yourself better and overcome the things you are weak at you will never be able to realize your full potential.

This is why I give you Rule #7 – If You Never Ask, They Can Never Say Yes

That sounds weird doesn’t it? Usually you hear the statement “you should always ask because the worst they can say is “no”. In turn, we are conditioned in sales to turn a “no” into “yes” yet we never address the anxiety many people feel when having to ask for something, especially if it is for free. During the last year I have been part of a project that is non-profit and we are kind of expected to ask for free stuff (free time, free materials, free everything) and if you are not used to asking it can be kind of uncomfortable.

I am the first to admit it made me really nervous and that was because I didn’t have the confidence in what I was asking and the almost cocky believe that people should believe in my cause. Some times I would put that call or email off being the procrastinator or then just sounding so nervous with the person I pretty much said “no” for them before they got a chance to say “yes”.

It was only when I started to see others around me getting things they asked for that it started to occur to me that having them say “no” was not the end of the world because there was someone else out there who that would support my cause.

This leads my to how you can apply this rule to your own business, be it for-profit or non-profit. Always ask whether it be for the sale, for a resource or even a little extra mayo on your sandwich. Here are three rules to apply:

1.) A Pleasant Demeanor goes a long way – Ever try and get some one to do something for you when you are in an angry mood? Yeah, the ticket agents at the airport love it when you are like that and can magically lose your luggage if you are a real jerk. Being nice is the first step and puts people in the same frame of mind especially when you can make them feel better from an early bad mood they got from a previous person.

2.) Believe in your product/service or cause comes through – If you don’t believe then they surely won’t. Your passion or boredom comes through in your voice and your body language and you might not even know it. Believe in what you do and others will want to be a part of it.

3.) Find other resources to give you a mental backup plan – It is when you might not have another place to ask or go is when you might be your worst and an air of desperation might come through. Have a backup plan in your mind so you come across as you need me more than I need you and in many cases they will probably say “Yes”

So go out and start asking. You will be amazed with the results, I guarantee it.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 4th, 2009 at 8:00 am and is filed under Rules for Entrepreneurs Series. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.


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