MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN…It’s Up To You!
To get the most out of our personal and business lives we have to take responsibility for making something happen. We have to ask for action from another person. By being the instigator and asking for action, you will learn quickly what kind of relationship you have. If the other person has consistently (after 3 requests) put you off and has not accepted the action you propose, go on to someone new.
Many business owners remind me of a Chinese proverb I heard which goes something like this: “You will go hungry if you wait with an open mouth for a duck to fly into it”. The moral of the story is that you can’t wait for something to happen; you have to make it happen.
People who make things happen don’t get sidetracked by the challenges of the present. They constantly remind themselves of where they’re going. In other words, every promising meeting or call should conclude with you asking for a specific Next Step.
Part of the responsibility of making something happen is to know what you want to happen. Have an end result as a goal when asking for action. This system works at a networking session, meeting with a prospect or wanting more business from a customer.
Not all people who you ask to take action will respond to the same request. You have to know what results you can expect from a given individual and then ask for the appropriate action.
Depending upon your relationship with the person you are going to ask for action, you can use a variety of methods for “the ask”. The most powerful is a face to face meeting, but the telephone and an e-mail can be equally effective in the right circumstances.
Don’t procrastinate, start asking today.
“You get in life what you have the courage to ask for.”
– Oprah Winfrey
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