Ask Or Perish!

Gbonju Akintola

14 July 2011

opinion

Remember that you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by asking

Recently I was discussing with a loved one who is frustrated by his progress at work. I advised him to go to the management and request for some managerial duties which will give him the opportunity to showcase his capability but to my surprise, my friend said to me, ‘I will not give them the satisfaction of saying no to me!’ How sad.

Compare my friend’s attitude to that of Jonathan, an eleven year old boy whose dream is to one day play in a famous orchestra in America. Jonathan’s first challenge was raising money to buy a saxophone and a keyboard to practise towards fulfilling his dream.

Every Saturday, Jonathan would set up a music stand at the main entrance of his local food market playing on an old clarinet. He puts up a handwritten sign which reads: MY NAME IS JONATHAN AND I AM ELEVEN YEARS OLD. I’M EARNING MONEY TO BUY A SOPRANO SAXOPHONE AND A KEYBOARD. CAN YOU HELP? THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

In no time, the plastic container next to him starts to fill up. Jonathan had discovered a great success principle called ‘asking’; and by summoning up courage and being creative, he achieved his goal.

As we grow older, sadly, we become more cautious in asking. We give different excuses and justify our reluctance; but most times it is because of the fear of rejection, lack of confidence or a belief system that says it’s wrong to ask.

One of the most popular verses in the bible is “Ask and you shall receive” Matthew 7:7. To succeed, especially in the ruthless world of business, we need to master the art of asking. When we ask, we get access to helpful information, strategies, names of people with influence and even money.

To succeed, you must learn how to deal with rejection because it is a part of life. If things don’t work out and your proposal/request/offer/idea e.t.c is turned down, you need to believe that it is not you, the person that is being refused.

I use this fantastic formula from Jack Canfield to deal with rejection- ‘SWSWSWSW’ which stands for “some will, some won’t, so what, someone’s waiting.” The most important thing is not to give up!

Harland David “Colonel” Sanders was the American entrepreneur who founded KFC. In 1952, armed with his $105 social security cheque, his pressure cooker and his special recipe, he started his chicken franchising business at the age of 65.

It is said that he received over 300 rejections before he found someone who believed in his dream. Today KFC is amongst the top three fast food restaurant chains in the world!

So what can you do to increase your chance of a favourable response when you ask?

Ask with positive expectation- let success start from within you, with the self belief that you deserve it and can get it. Whether it’s a scholarship, a date, a promotion, e.t.c when we conquer the mountain within- fear, low self esteem, low self confidence e.t.c, conquering the mountain without becomes easier.

Ask for information- the most successful business is that which meets a need; and only when you fully understand and appreciate the needs of your target market can you offer a solution. Market research is therefore key. This could be in form of a simple questionnaire, product testing or one-to-one interviews.

If you are asking for employment or a promotion, it’s important to gather as much information as possible about the organisation or the post you desire. After an interview, most times you are invited to ask your own questions.

Only if you are armed with adequate information about the organisation/job role will you be able to ask informed questions that will endear you in n the mind of the interviewer.

Ask repeatedly- I recently read about a man that asked a woman more than 30 times to marry him. He refused to take no for an answer and finally she said yes!

Herbert True, a marketing scholar discovered this fascinating statistics- 44% of all sales people quit trying after the first call, 24% quit after the second call, 14% quit after the third call, and 12% quit trying to sell to their prospect after the fourth call.

Research shows that 60% of sales are made after the fourth call. This means that 94% of sales people do not give themselves the chance with their prospective buyers. This proves that capacity is not enough to succeed, you also need tenacity.

Remember that you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by asking. So keep on asking!

Gbonju is a UK based certified professional Personal/Small Business Performance Coach, Human Resources Development Consultant and International speaker. She qualifies through the Chartered Institute for Personnel Development (CIPD) and the Coaching Academy. For moreinformation on how you or your organisation can benefit from her services, visit www.peakpeopledevelopers.comor email gbonju@peakpeopledevelopers.com

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