What's On My Mind
The 2nd in a 3 part series on speed!
Last week we talked about Make It Simple.
(Check it out HERE if you missed it.)
Our second lesson...
Make The Ask.
Last week was about design. Figuring out what the next step is.
This week is about actually asking for it.
Most professionals know their solutions well. They know what usually happens next.
Then sadly, they project that assumed knowledge on the client, thinking they know too.
They don't.
You've spent decades learning your craft.
Your client hasn't.
You've spent hours preparing for this meeting.
Your client hasn't.
You've seen every permutation of what could be next.
Your client hasn't.
You have to Make The Ask to speed things up.
How do you do it?
Below we go!
What We Just Created
Last week I announced our biggest free value add ever!
100 micro, power-packed video lessons covering the Top 100 things you and your teams need to know to be great at growth.
THE SNEAK PEEK ON YOUTUBE IS HERE.
You GrowBIG Playbook readers get to see it first!
These will start dropping on all podcast platforms on Monday, August 1.
BOOM!
5 episodes/week for 20 weeks.
Comprehensive content in bite-sized bits.
All 100% gratis.
Question for you this week...
How could you scale this tremendous resource across your team?
New team members can get up to speed on our system.
Older team members can evolve and refine their skills.
And supporting team members can get aligned!
Who drives or supports growth at your organization?
Who would benefit from these Top 100 micro lessons?
How can you integrate this content into your ongoing meeting structure, improving everyone's skills?
Improving processes?
Aligning the team?
Ping us if you want ideas.
We're working with a lot of teams to do the same–happy to share what we're learning!
What's Worth Lingering On
Back to Lesson Two: Make The Ask.
Remember LAST WEEK we talked about Make It Simple.
If you've checked the box on Make It Simple, you've got a simple next step in mind.
All you need to do now is two things:
- Make The Ask
- Frame it so the client sees the benefits to them
You probably remember our magical phrases "so you can..." and "so they can..."
That's how you bridge a statement to the most important part: how the client will benefit.
Here's an example ask:
What most of our clients do next is ___ (action) so they can ___ (benefit). Would that be of interest to you, or not?
You can flex on this, but I love that sample structure.
It incorporates...
- What most of our clients do communicates this is a safe choice. It's normal. It's common. Social Proof!
- next is ___ communicates a rock simple action they should take.
- so they can ___ communicates benefit, specific and unique to their situation.
- Would that be of interest to you communicates a soft ask of general interest instead of going hardcore to ask to get hired. Sometimes that's appropriate, but in many cases asking for general interest is a middle ground that's easier to ask about.
- The or not? at the end communicates true sincerity that you're OK if it's not a good time. Don't lead the witness. If they're not interested now, you want to know. If they are, the or not? part will push them to respond even more positively if they are interested.
Try this out. These two words are one of the most powerful adds to an ask.
These two sentences pack a punch. Simple, profound.
The key...
They prompt discussion.
And it's the discussion you want to have–you potentially getting hired to help.
Make The Ask
sounds simple, but so many don't do it.
Reasons people hesitate...
Feeling fear of bringing up commercial steps.
Making an assumption the client knows what to do.
Having much more comfort with content.
Whatever the issue, don't skip this step.
Having fun discussions with clients is great. It feels nice. You get to show off all you know. It's helpful.
But you can't help a client in a big way until you get hired.
And the fastest way to get hired is to bring it up.
Make The Ask.
Mo
ps. Final article in this series next week, tying everything together! Question: who else do you know that would value this series? Shoot 'em this note.
