Ask, Ask, Ask

This morning when I was having my coffee, Tammy, one of the young ladies I coach, asked me for help in improving her sales skills.  She has begun a new venture, selling jewelry through networking parties. She asked me what could she do to become a top salesperson.

 

I took a piece of paper, wrote on it, and handed it to her. "This," I told her, "is the secret to success."

What I wrote was, “Ask.”

 

No matter what you do, where you work, or what you want, you need to ask for what you want and need. That includes your business life and your personal life. If you want something from someone, you have to ask.

 

All the charisma, all the techniques,  all the skills you can learn won't help you unless you also learn to ask.  That means, if you want something from your spouse, you need to ask.  If you want more business, you ask the people who can buy from you.  It really boils down to being that simple.

 

Tammy was looking for sophisticated ways to get business, to be successful. Like most of us, me included,  the inner chatter,  the self-talk starts in: Don't be pushy...don't annoy people...it's not the right time...they won't buy...they won't do that for me.  And so, we don't ask. 

 

The same thing applies to receiving help. Many times, and I mean many times, I've given my phone number or e-mail address to people. I offer to help, but they never call and ask.

 

If someone says no, don't take it personally. It's not you, it's them. Either they can't help you (or think they can't help you) or they can't afford to buy right now.  That's okay. What's important is that you asked; you made your need known.  And you are no worse off than you were before.

 

Make it a commitment this week to ask. Ask for help, ask for what you need, and ask for the sale.

As Jack Canfield once said on his CD-set, The Aladdin Principle, "Ask, ask, ask, ask, ask, ask, ask, ask ask, ask, ask, ask, ask, ask, ask, ask,  ask, ask, ask, ask, ask, ask, ask, ask, ask, ask, ask, ask."

If you want to double your success rate, double your failure rate.

 

Find A Way,