The Importance of Asking
You’ve got to ask! Asking is, in my opinion, the world’s most powerful – and neglected – secret to success and happiness. – Percy Ross
We work. We work hard! Yet, sometimes we forget to do the simplest of things to advance our business and earning ability. Personally, I’m terrible at networking (quite possibly the single most important act!). Needless to say, I’m awful at making small talk in elevators as well. Typically, I’m that guy who acts as if he’s on the phone – all for the sake of avoiding the awkward silence while waiting to arrive at my chosen floor (Another good trick is to act as if you’re in a hurry and don’t have time to chat. Repeatedly looking at your watch helps.) However, I have learned one extremely important task for any business situation. I ASK.
Let me explain a bit further. When completing a project for a client, I typically send him or her a final thank you letter. In it, I mention that, if he happens to come by a colleague that needs a similar service, I would appreciate it if he would pass my name along. It may not sound like much, but I promise you that, over time, you will benefit tremendously. Such requests may seem trivial, but they aren’t. It could be argued that, ironically, they are more important than the job itself! The job leads to the request. The request leads to the referral. The referral leads to increased income. Then, the cycle repeats itself, exponentially.
Remember, your business is YOU. That means that, any chance you have, you should be promoting yourself and expanding your client base. The only person that is aware of your desires is you! If you don’t ask, you’ll never receive – as cliche’ as it might sound.
In addition to my own business, I also am the editor for NETTUTS the potential future editor of a site that I can’t speak about just yet, a contributing writer to FreelanceFolder, and, as of today, a staff writer for the site that you’re currently reading. I attribute each of these positions to my asking. When you speak up you accomplish three things.
- You create a small place in the person’s mind specifically for you. They’ll remember you when the time comes!
- You show eagerness. By speaking up, you present yourself as someone who is actively seeking to better himself. Such traits are desirable.
- Exponentially increase your odds. It’s a simple fact that the more times you swing, the more likely you are to hit one out of the park. A simple request never hurt anybody.
What to Ask
- Denied for a Position?Thank you for considering me. If you have anything open up in the future, please do consider me. I’ll check back with you in a few months.
- We Can Offer you a Part-Time Position.That would be great! But, if you have a bigger position with greater responsibility available in the future, I would jump at the chance to be considered.
- It Doesn’t Really Matter!The important thing to remember is that you must always send chance out into the air. Just keep asking, as long as it is appropriate. You’ll be remembered.
Real World Example
A nominee for the 1977 Oscar for best screenplay attributes his success to a single moment. After being denied yet again by a producer for a role, as he made his way to the door, he quietly mentioned, “I don’t know if it makes a difference, but I also do some writing.” Upon hearing that, the producer responded, “Oh really? Let’s schedule a meeting.” Because of that brief request, the writer went on to become hugely successful and, subsequently, made millions of dollars on future projects. Sometimes, all you need to do is ASK. They might just say, “Come on back!”.
Cats seem to go on the principle that it never does any harm to ask for what you want. – Joseph Wood Krutch
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Asking questions is a great thing, it can accomplish so many tasks. You’d be amazed how many thing you can get or things that you can do, just by asking. It is sometimes hard to open your mouth and actually ask, but go for it! It will get you places.
Couldn’t agree with this more Jeffrey, good article. When finding out a friend was participating in an art anthology book, I asked if she could put my name forward as a favour. She did and the authors quickly got in touch offering me a spot in the book which meant I could start talking to them and more work has come from them since. It may not succeed, but it never hurts to ask.
PS. I don’t know if it makes a difference, but I also do illustration…
As a freelancer, the one thing you need to be asking for is the sale.
Nice article Jeffrey, I agree, if you don’t ask it will never happen! This applies to a lot of things in life. “The Squeaky wheel gets the oil”
What a timely post as I’m about to give a chat to a group of Entrepreneurship students at Drake University on this topic. Whether it’s asking for the sale, for help, for discounted or free resources, advice, guidance, etc…the power of ASKING communicates humility, respect, and an openness that is often missing in today’s business climate.
I attribute my humble success and that of my company/team to ASKING. Don’t forget the “give back” portion when people ask you too! It’s that whole “secret” positive energy sharing stuff that has commercialized the golden rule.
I agree with this so much. You are right – you will never receive unless you ask! I have pitched so many times and I am often surprised at the results!
Another thing to ask for: the sale. One of my friends says that she’s found success by telling prospects that she’d really like to work with them. Not exactly the sort of sentence that ends with a question mark, but it’s still a pretty good “ask.”
Sending a thank you note at the end is a good idea. I would have to remember that!
One of the best networking tips I received was to let my family and friends know that I’m looking for that job. Very obvious, I know, but I’m the type that I never wanted to brag to my relatives about how much cooler my job is compared to theirs (hahaha, Sis!) And the holidays are coming up, lot’s of opportunity to ask.
really, really, really good point. That’s something I need to constantly remind myself. I get ALL my work from referrals (it’s by far the easiest, cheapest and best way to maintain a freelance career), so this is the single most important thing to remember. That and always going the extra mile to please each and every client, knowing that some day their enthusiasm of the work you’ve done is bound to lead to future work for you.
Excellent advice. Something I need to remember to do more often.
Information tease! I’m curious about who the 1977 Oscar nominee was. Of course, maybe I’m just avoiding the topic at hand because asking makes me squirm. However, I’ve braved the cold waters of extroversion during several job interviews and rallied the gumption to ask, “Can I have this job?” And you’re right. Seems like every time I did that, I got the job.
Having a positive attitude is also a huge asset. I had a client that had commissioned me to do several articles email to say the magazine would be on hold due to the economy. And that I wouldn’t get my last check. I remained optimistic and asked him to keep me posted. My thinking was he would have to find another editing job if the magazine folded and I could hit him up for more work. Three days later he wrote to say the magazine would run the next issue after all and I would get paid. He thanked me for being understanding and it really cemented our working relationship.
I completely agree. Unless people know what we want, we can’t expect them to think of us first when opportunities arise.
Really great post. Nice food for thought for the day!
Does anyone give incentives for referrals? For every referral that ends up in a sale they would get a $5 gift card at Starbucks for instance?
Does this help more?
Jeffrey, Great article!
One of the most important lessons I have learned throughout my many years doing business for yourself, ASKING is such an important role in advancing your career as a freelancer. A guy who used to work for my Pops back when I was a wee young lad, he would always say, “I always knew that if my stomach didn’t hurt just a little bit when I gave em the price, I could have gotten more.”
So while at first you may not want to take that step, remember, it will always pay off.
Another thing is that sometimes your clients may assume you are too busy to handle another job request so asking them is giving them a green light to go ahead and book you for a future job.
I think the conversation is very important in freelancing. Asking questions, giving the details, etc are some of the things that are important in freelancing. The most important is to be in touch even after the completion of the project. So that the other one can remember us if new project arrives or even can recommend us..
This is true, if you don ask or never ask, when you had a trouble, people wont help you because they thought you already know how to handle these situations, also you wont get respect from your boss. So make sure if you don know anything about it, then Ask!