Download: The Asking Formula – Personal Excellence Magazine – HR.com 2013 09

The Asking Formula

Ask for what you want

By John Baker

Do you ever have trouble asking for what you want? Do you feel frustrated when you don’t get what you don’t ask for? Have you seen people be more successful at asking for what they want.

We often hem and haw and hope that people will give us what we want—or do what we want them to do—if we give them enough hints.

I created The Asking Formula because I was tired of people wasting my time not getting to the point. I was frustrated with salespeople not asking for the close. I was weary of endless presentations and non-ending meetings. And, I was through with training that didn’t really change behavior.

What is The Asking Formula?

Confident people know how to persuasively and courageously ask for what they want. They follow a six-step, repeatable process called The Asking Formula.

1. Know what you want. Control the agenda and be bold.
2. Ask for what you want. Start with “I am asking for . . .”
3. Show what you want. Two-thirds of your audience want to learn visually.
4. Develop best reasons. Why would your audience want to give you what you are asking for
5. Stop talking. Give your audience a chance to say “yes.”
6. Share. Only provide supporting documents if needed. This is meant to be simple, but it is far from easy to implement.

Most people sabotage their effectiveness (and personal image) by practicing bad asking behaviors. The Asking Formula is about installing a culture of productive and forthright communications that provokes action and gets things done. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it.

“The leader of the past knew how to tell, the leader of the future will know how to ask.” —Peter Drucker Why are so many people unable to ask for what they want?

How many times during the day—in a sales call, presentation, or meeting—is it vital for you to ask for something that you want in order to achieve your goals? As a consultant, I witness the results of poor asking first hand: Failed sales calls, poor decisions, misunderstandings, damaged credibility, endless meetings and presentations, lost time, wasted resources, lack of influence and confidence.

The Asking Formula is a simple way to get immediate results, deliver clear solutions, gain confidence, and generate faster growth. It empowers you to implement the most effective process for structuring persuasive communications and to achieve your objectives. Instill in yourself a bias for action that gets things done. Super-charge your influence and improve results.