How To Make The BIG Ask (And Reel In The Big Fish!)

Last week, my friend, (who can’t cook to save her life—now you know why we’re friends!) got a call from her mom the night before Easter to discover “You’re in charge of an appetizer”. Considering my friend stayed up all night to cobble together deviled eggs last year, she hit a moment of panic.

• She needed more time
• She wanted to make her mamma happy
• And it’s a Southern no-no to show up without the requested dish-to-pass

Solution? A glass of wine and quick trip to the deli for some store-bought potato salad.

Martha Stewart approved? No. Did it solve the problem? You bet.

What does my friend passing off deli potato salad have to do with your business? Plenty.

So often, we behave like my friend’s mom: We have a reasonable request but we do it in an unprofessional way.

• We’re not clear up front about what we need
• We don’t provide ample time to get what we want
• And we ask way too much, way too late

People want to help, but a lot of the time, they don’t know how. [TWEET THAT]

You can greatly increase the odds of getting their help by clearly outlining exactly what you need and what they can do.

Any time you gather up the courage to reach out to a big fish, I want you to make sure you do these three things:

• Give them twice as much notice as you think they need
• Clearly outline exactly what you need and are hoping for
• Make it as easy on them as possible (Offer to create a PDF with their information, offer to edit their work, adjust to their time table, etc.)

Your Authentic Selling Challenge is to reach out to a big fish and make the ask. Be sure to follow the three tips above to ensure you increase your chances, look like a pro, and avoid a dish of store-bought potato salad.
Need help? Let me know in the comments. I’m happy to help you tweak your ask to help you create results, revenue, and raving fans.