223. How To Ask For What You Want – Learn The Secrets to Becoming a Master Asker

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Hey, what's up everyone? I hope you're having an awesome day. Okay, lean in, I want to ask you a question. Are you getting what it is you want in business? So, are you getting the sales? Are you getting the funding? Are you getting new clients? Are you getting the right people? That's the question I have for you. And if the answer is no, I want you to watch this short video because I'm going to be talking about how to get what you want. It breaks my heart when I see people who are amazing., and they have incredible concepts and great businesses, and they struggle. And one of the key reasons people struggle is because they don't know how to ask for what they want. And they tell themselves a story, which essentially is a lie, that they just don't deserve it. And so many people quit on their business, because they aren't getting the traction that they really desire, because there's a part of them that fears the ask. So my name is Susan Sly, I'm a best selling author. I'm a keynote speaker, I am an entrepreneur. I'm a tech investor. And I'm a mom. So I want to share with you these techniques in terms of getting what you want. And a couple of quick things. First and foremost, I have an amazing retreat coming up in Sedona for women who want to take their businesses to seven and eight figures. And my incredible friends who are training, one of them is a you know, a recovering attorney who is now building a massive business and hugely successful YouTube influencer. And another friend has built 13 plus online businesses totaling seven and eight figures, absolutely incredible. Tickets are selling out. So go to susansly.com events and check out my Seven Figure Women's Sedona Retreat, it's going to be absolutely amazing. If you're looking for a digital agency, you want help with your invoicing, and your funnels, and all of that good stuff, check out my agency, agency8.com. We would love to help you. We specialize in new business owners and startup vendors, helping you succeed. So with that, let's talk about getting what it is you want. So when you think about getting what you want, it ultimately comes down to the following things. Number one, is you want to create revenue for your business, either through funding, getting new clients, new customers, and bringing in new deals, you know, that's that's one aspect, or what you want is really around being fulfilled. Let's say you have the traction, you have the customers, the business is great. But there's a part of it that just doesn't feel fulfilling. You've got to a level of success, and you're like, Oh, I don't know if this is what I really want. Or I don't know if I can keep on going at this pace. And I can tell you, I've been in both of those places. And, and business is tough. That's why we call this channel Raw and Real Entrepreneurship. It isn't easy. And we often get into business because we feel like oh, we want this freedom. And that's the number one reason people start a business. In a survey that I read on Ink Magazine, the number one reason was, oh, I want time freedom. Well, you're delusional because entrepreneurs work about 20 hours extra week over employees. And this concept of time freedom, it doesn't really exist. What it comes down to is time choice, meaning that as an entrepreneur, you get to choose what it is you're doing. And sometimes you have to make tough choices. But let's talk about how to get what you want. So the first thing is taking stock, why do you deserve it? If you want to make a million dollars a year, your time is worth $500 an hour. I mean, if you want to make 2 million a year, your time is worth $1,000 an hour. So before I became a self made millionaire, I had to take stock of that and say, Hey, Susan, who do you need to become so that your time is worth $500 an hour? And that is really about taking a look in the mirror and asking yourself the tough questions. You know, what are the habits you need to live into? Getting up earlier in the morning, being more scheduled and deliver, not procrastinating, going to bed on time. You know, fueling your body to the level that you need to perform. And what are the things you need to get rid of? Maybe it's gossip, maybe it's wasting time. Maybe it's telling yourself excuses or drinking too much or eating too much. You know all of those things, right? In order to become that person who's worthy of billing out your time. I have a lot of attorneys, like I'm sure you do. And some of them bill out at $650 an hour. Why? They're worth it. Recently in one of my companies, we hired consultants and I said what's your fee? And they said, Well, if the deal goes through our fee is $400,000. And I'm like okay, yeah, well after some shock, and so I call up the guy. And I said, you know, why is your fee $400,000? He goes, because we're worth it. We ended up hiring them. I mean, seriously, because he felt he was worth it. And that's, you know, this step one, take stock, why are you worth it? Start to make a list of the skills that you have, a list of the accomplishments you have, start to make a list of the habits that you're living into, and the ones you're letting go of, that allow you to align with how much your time is worth. I know for myself, anytime I've grown my income, I've also had to grow my habits, right? To align with those new habits. The second thing is getting clear on the outcome. So number one, you're worth it. Okay, so what is the outcome that you're seeking? And I encourage you to take some time and journal. I journal personally, every single morning, just on that clarity. So what outcome do you want? Is it to sell your business? Is it to become more profitable? Is it to create more revenue? What is it? Is it to hire the right team of people? With clarity and certainty, there can be no overwhelm. I'm going to say that again, with clarity and certainty, there can be no overwhelm. So get clear on the outcome. Step number three, is knowing the right person to ask. So in the business world, we call this person the decision maker. So in business, it's so important to network and connect with decision makers. So who are those people? It's the person who can easily afford your product or service. It's the person in the corporation that's generally in the C team that can make a decision to say yes, we want to do business with you. So getting clear on who it is that you need to ask. And then number four, is doing research on that person. And one of my personal mentors is Harvey Mackay, he is a seven time New York Times bestselling author, he wrote, Swim With The Sharks Or Get Eaten Alive, Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty. All of these incredible books. And one of the things I've learned from Harvey is this concept of the Mackay 66. It's finding out about people before you have the conversation. So this is really key. Because the bigger your ask, the more research you need to do. That point was so important, I'm gonna say it again, the bigger your ask, the more research you need to do. So if your ask is a multi million dollar ask, if it's $100 million ask, whatever it is, do your homework, do your homework, do your homework, because the you know, the fifth step in terms of getting what you want, is now you're going to connect with this person, and you want to have those areas of common ground. When people say, people do business with people they like, know, and trust. And I've heard the other Oh, that's not true. It is true, it is so true. We love to do business with people that we connect with, that we get along with, that we want to go for dinner with. So do your homework, find those pieces of common ground, and if you don't find them, keep digging until you do. The sixth step is to look at the value. So what value are you providing in exchange for what it is you're asking for? So if you are, you know, you're selling your product or service, what value does that person have when they buy your product or service? So, you know, example, say you're a coach, and you're selling your coaching service, let's say, you know, a good market value for a really good business coach might be, you know, $2,000 a month. So what value are you going to provide for that person? What can you guarantee? Do you give them money back guarantee? What is it that that person is going to get in exchange for giving you money? And it's getting clear, and it doesn't matter if your service is, you know, whatever your product is, maybe it's $100, $500, $2,000. Or maybe you're selling something that's a million dollars a month, whatever it is, get clear on the value. And then the last and final step is just have the courage to ask, Are you going to, you know, hit a home run every single time? No, but as Wayne Gretzky, a great Canadian, and I'm originally from Canada, once said, we miss 100% of the shots we never take. So you're going to ask, you're going to sell the value, you're going to know that you're worth it, and all of that amazing stuff. But at the end of the day, are you always going to get a yes? No. However, you just keep on going, keep on going, till eventually get the Yes. And we know that in terms of the world of follow up. It takes five to seven times often or maybe even more than that for a yes to occur. And the actual statistic is that 80% of sales happen after the fourth follow up, but 80% of sales people follow up fewer than four times. So with that, my friends, this has been another episode of Raw and Real Entrepreneurship. I want to encourage you to go out there and ask for what you want. Drop a comment below. I read all of your comments. I'm the person who responds to them. And if this episode has been helpful don't forget to hit the subscribe, subscribe button. I can't even speak, I'm so excited. hit this subscribe button, and like this video. And so with that, God bless, go rock your day, and I'll see you on the next episode.