This weekend, I was talking with friends about how—in all scenarios whether professional or personal—you have to directly ask for what it is that you want. Otherwise, you can be certain that the answer (aka result) will be ‘no’. When you look at it that way, what do you really have to lose by asking?
Rewind back to a couple of weeks ago. I had the pleasure—no, the honor—of volunteering for ONE, a non-profit organization founded by Bono of U2 to conquer poverty in Africa.
During this enlightening experience, the ONE volunteers were charged with walking around the grounds of Soldiers’ Field in Chicago, hours before the U2 360 concert began, in order to sign up as many new members to ONE as possible. This involved approaching people– in conversations, in lines, milling around–and telling them about ONE. Netbooks (conspicuously RED) in hand, we went from person to person (and there were tens of thousands of persons total!), trying to motivate them to do something as simple and humanitarian as sign up for the ONE mailing list. No charge. No obligation. Just to raise awareness for the cause, which ultimately serves to apply political pressures towards African governments for reform. In other words, ONE does not approach its members with fundraising pleas. Rather, it looks to the membership to take action.
Despite the fact that this should be an easy sell (after all, no monetary obligation!), it’s always tricky to approach strangers and open up a conversation about something they may be completely unfamiliar with. Sometimes we were met with skepticism, or negative comments about how we should be focused on the U.S. financial situation rather than the continent of Africa. But joyously, for the most part, our pitch was well-received once our prospects realized what we were trying to accomplish.
If we never took the time to ask–and in this case, also to educate–then we would not have attained the massive amounts of new ONE members prior to the concert. If we never took the time to ask, the answer would have been a resounding, undeniable, loud ‘NO!’
So think about that–when you are hesitant to ask your client to pay your firm for additional services not written in the original contract; when you want to ask your boss for a promotion; when you need help from a friend.
Oh, and while we are on the topic of asking, I’d like to ask you, my readers, to sign up for ONE. Thank you in advance, for becoming aware and sharing in the movement.
