The Ask: Going for the kill
Over the past weeks, we were taught sales techniques, pitching techniques, marketing, and growth hacking techniques. One common thing among them that I realize is that there is always an ask or call the action at the end. After going through all the sharing, explanation, convincing, and whatnot, it is for a purpose and that purpose should be explicitly stated to my target audience.
I realize I might have been doing it all wrong. In the past, I was afraid of asking for what I want. I was afraid that I will offend the other party if I was to ask for something that they are not willing to give. This probably caused my target audiences to be confused and are not sure what I want from them. I lack confidence and I feared rejection. Probably, that is why in the past, I was not able to close too many deals.
Moving forward, before entering any meetings or pitching session, I have to be clear about my objectives — What do I want out of the session. I will make the conscious effort to be explicit with my request, but at the same time respectful. Even if I do get rejected, I will only be in the same state as where I started. There is not much to lose for asking, but much to gain if my request is granted.
