Hello friend,
How are things going? I hope you’re well and hydrated as summer makes its final rounds.
Quick question.
Do you consider yourself more of an optimist or a pessimist? Seeing opportunities everywhere or ambiguities destined to fail?
This story’s title is a quote by bestselling author Nora Roberts.
I strongly believe it carries an important lesson for your personal and professional lives.
The simple act of asking holds the key to opening new stories you never knew existed.
Here is a classic from the personal category.
Say you love hiking and you take solo hikes because you think your friends won’t be interested. One day you casually mention a recent hike and your friend says:
“Really!? I would have loved to come along with you. Why didn’t you say something?”
Career-wise, think of a dream job you coveted, yet, you negotiated down with yourself believing it was a long shot and you didn’t tick all their required boxes.
It happens to all of us at some point.
The root cause of this behavior is the dread of rejection.
It’s understandable.
It stems from our ancient survival flight or fight instinct, programmed to minimize threats.
However, by staying in your comfort zone, it means yes, you have more control - after all, it’s a familiar safe, and predictable space.
Yet, it comes with a steep price. You don’t venture out and slow down your growth.
I’ll even go further and say, that whenever you feel discomfort or ambiguity taking on a new task you’re not well versed in, that’s a good thing!
Why?
This is your signal that you’re learning and growing.
Three business examples
While living in San Diego, I got a job by simply reaching out to the CEO on LinkedIn and sharing my perspectives on an article he was featured in.
A few years ago, I was scouting an event space in Downtown Miami. I met with the owner and after a long chat, she suggested why don’t you pitch a visual storytelling course at The Idea Center, an entrepreneurship center at Miami-Dade College.
I did. I brought my friends and we taught this class for over two years.
Lastly, I bet you all get a gazillion cold emails and text messages a day from lead generation, content contributors, and VAs to business loans.
True! It’s a mass effort to pose a question, yet they all come with minimal personalization and zero trust.
So, rightly so, you ignore them.
Parking tale
Last Sunday morning, we had nice cortaditos (Cuban coffee) at Merrick Park Mall in Coral Gables. Since it was early, we easily found a parking spot very close to the entrance.
On our way back, I noticed all the cars near ours received shiny tickets on their windshields.
“Good thing, I had paid through the parking app” I was thinking.
To my dread, I saw I got one, too!!!
How could this be? My app showed I still had less than 2 minutes left.
At the corner of my eye, I caught the Parking enforcement officer making her way back to her car, showed her the app, and guess what - she admitted her mistake and canceled a $46 ticket!
True! Silly story but hey, if I didn’t ask the answer is no + unjust ticket.
Start by defining your goal. Once you have a destination, research the optimal people to pitch your story. Review their recent social posts, their role, achievements, company news, personal website, etc.
Your target could be from your closer professional network (people who already know you) or strangers.
Either way, you want them to feel you did your homework and bring them a solid value.
The trick is to pitch a story that allows your prospect, hiring manager, or potential partner - to see themselves taking an active role in your story and reaping meaningful benefits.
I once ran a Social Selling workshop for a sales team, so these are some of the highlights of the art of strategic asking.
By asking more often, and treating rejections as redirections (not me saying but Steve Maraboli), you may open up hidden doors that you never knew existed.
Over to you!
Think hard: To whom would you ask an important question?
See you next time!
Best,
- Shlomi
Shlomi Ron
Founder/CEO, Visual Storytelling Institute
story > visual > emotion > experience
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