Lessons

Lesson Info

The Ask

We are going to talk a little bit about story telling in the importance of the ask and again there's a lot more information in the book that will go through exercises around this but in our closing thing, what I want you to really think about is that time when you are trying to make the ask and you do need to turn to your network. Shira talked a little bit about it she was professional, but she was authentic and there's a quote that I found the other night online and it was basically somebody was trying to sell encyclopedias it was parents don't want to buy encyclopedias, they want their kids to be president, right? And so I want you to think about that in terms of what you're trying to provide like theresa isn't just selling photographs, it's family memories that the emotional connection behind the ask is really important another quote that is very similar to this is that, uh, gavin newsom actually said it in an interview with him, he said that people are going to remember not what yo...

u said, but how you make them feel so kind of you with that thought, I'm only going to do maybe two of you because of the time constraints, but I want you to think about your passion if you were in an elevator speech, how would you convey what your core businesses what is your business idea or the area of interest that you have? I'm interested in this you know does it add it up so do we have a brave volunteer? This is the hardest exercise of the day kerry a so you're in an elevator speech you know you quickly have to kind of convey what you're passionate about I'm in the elevator with you uh you know likely although actually look let's say that you're making a presentation so you need to convey to the audience or or to me or tell me a little bit it'll just be equally challenging in their way so high everything's carrie hi carrie nice to meet you nice to me chief what do you do, porter well, right now I'm teaching of course it's fantastic and I try to help people learn how to network in a more appropriate way an antacid more authentic way wonderful. What are you interested in? I am interested in photography I'm actually getting ready tio kind of assemble I'm kind of doing the treasure hunt tio get my photo business together and launch that. So I have really been kind of trying to glean things that will help me do that and I found that being authentic is very, very helpful and being sincere as well that's a really important thing to me, so I'm just trying to integrate all of those things into into my new business great great I love it so I don't want to keep you on the spot too long really a good job that you're getting the photography across sometimes again it's about being specific so if there's a type of photography that you're doing for a type of thing that you're interested in giving me a little bit more so that I can really visualize I'm interested in wedding photography and what I really tried to I love bringing moments toe life for brides it's been a passion of mine forever give us something that we can kind of emotionally can that too and visualize a little bit more specific but great passion great articulation good eye contact good clarity so thank you for being so I want you guys to think about that and I'm just going to tell you a couple stories about making an ask and they're in the book too but dr brent ridge is one story that I love he was at mount sinai his position was one where he had to raise funds for a building project and he theresa do you remember this story? We read this one thinks so so dr ridge the task came on his desk it was basically that you need to raise ten million dollars for this building now that's that's a big ask right? I would be overwhelmed by that having to figure out how to raise ten million dollars and what he did was he you know, thought through it logically and he thought about what are the key characteristics of the building it was going to be a building for the aging population a wellness center he started thinking about what who would who would fit in terms of a potential sponsor where there are common characteristics common interests he decided that martha stewart was at the top of his list that she really talked about somebody with lots of energy she was aging well she could relate to that target audience so this was his dream now instead of just you know randomly going after martha stewart he put together a business plan a why it would benefit martha he did some research then he attached key influencers to the project so he ended up getting I am pay an architect attached to it on dso you know, he really started to build the credibility up around the project knowing that this was his ultimate vision this was where he wanted to go once he had done all his research in his homework and so this cell about making a quality ask and not rushing to the gate it's like theresa you're working on your branding now it's like get all the stuff done get your house in order first before you do the big picture the big ask he then you know humorously he read this was when she was going to jail and so he sent her a big care package in jail, and he hey read that lots of people were sending martha care packages in jail, so he sent the biggest envelope that he could find with a huge mount sinai logo and, you know, he kept going for in lo and behold, he accomplished his goal. He met with martha after she got out of prison, and she funded the project. So, you know, again, it's it's another one of those stories, like meeting richard branson and trying to meet ellen some of them don't work, but even if she would not have been attached, he had done so much work on it with getting the architects attached that he probably would have gotten someone else right, so really surround your projects around the ask where you filled it up to a point where, how could they say no like it's? So perfect that you're bringing so much value to the table? So really think about that. We talked a lot about the importance of listening. What I want you to really recognize with ask is, you know, we've heard time and time again, that networking relationship building a lot of it is very considered it's, very focused, it's on a purpose, it's on a passion, people that are making successful ass and presentation they're rehearsing there, not just jumping up on a stage and coming up with a comedy skit like I mentioned with peter simms book little bets, there's a lot of practice and repetition. One person that I did interview, gavin newsom, he shared the story of the fact that he actually is dyslexic and so that with with his speeches he will practice over and over and over and over again, and then he will actually practice without the teleprompter so that he really knows the material and it is able to deliver it. So one resource that I do encourage you to look at is ted x videos, you know, fifteen minutes or less, they're really very moving videos and you can convey fifteen minutes is actually a really long time for a speech, so the exercise in the book is not a fifteen minute speech. It's a three minute speech, you know, do a two to three minute speech on your passion on your topic, maybe you start where you do it in the mere, then maybe you bring a trusted friend where you pitched, what your business idea is and videotape it, maybe just take notes or asked for feedback, and even if it feels uncomfortable, that process of crystallizing here's where I'm trying to go. Is going to be really, really beneficial another tip that actually david shared at lunch and I think is a great one was if you do have the benefit of videotaping yourself a tw, some point, watch it with the sound off and really watch the body language because a lot is conveyed through the body language. So great tip from you, thank you for that. So think about that I'm also, you know, practice don't talk down to your audience there was early in my career I was making a speech and I thought I was being funny and it came office arrogant, and I remember getting tons of email, how could you be so mean? And, you know, that was like, oh, it was like, you know, heartbreaking but learning opportunity, right? It was like, wow, you know, use we don't talk down it's the same thing with the intern strategy same thing was speaking, be human don't let the no stop you don't leave before the miracle the talk lists and ratio, if it's a presentation where you get people involved really think about that too, so lots of thoughts on that the other thing is said, I am a believer when we've talked about the content strategy there's not only the story telling in the emotion, but do you have any prior results that you can share and demonstrate in an emotional way I would imagine that you probably are pitching and making asked for sponsors how many people have attended and it's don't say four thousand say four thousand one hundred twenty three right but to give them the specifics just like bill was saying people want specific information and and how did it help you know emotionally how does it help change a community any video or images that you have again online sharing social sharing you know, attaching a video this is what the event looked like when the kids came to the event this is what happened you can really convey so much more through pictures and images and so if that's an appropriate part of the ask make sure that you're conveying it any endorsements or testimonials both in the job search having those and then I've got to imagine again using you as an example that there probably are people that have come to your conference if you've had those collecting after people were posting on facebook and I was screened capping it so I wouldn't forget my bookmark things and after yeah, after last year's conference and people actually wrote wrap up blawg posts about it which was really great isn't that amazing that's gotta feel good to get that right what a better endorsement and kind of a statement of what the power of the connecting those comments and quote, so if you were going to see a potential sponsor or even somebody who he wanted to have come be a speaker, look at what happened last year, as long as you have the sign off that you can use that, and if it was shared publicly, you know, I don't see why you wouldn't be able to but keep that information, same thing teresa in your business, where you're going to be doing a lot of coaching, those testimonials, you obviously going to be putting them on the website, but, you know, one powerful testimonial can drive a lot of business, which reminds me of a story where, again, it's all about, you know, service and integrity. But I was with there's, a new company called surf air it's, a small charter airline that flies from san francisco to l a and I was chatting with their executive team the other day, and the ceo told me a story about the charter airline business, which I love airlines just because my background that there was a flight thiss charter company where it some women were flying and not to be cliche, but they said, well, do you have any chocolate on board, and the pilot was like, well, there. No chocolate bunny like why you're sounding says, well, I want to roll down and I'm gonna pick up some chocolate. So, you know, they like before they took off. He, like, got a bunch of chocolate and it was just like it was, you know, regular chalk it from, you know, the vending machine and and he's like ladies, I've got all the chocolate. So these three ladies who are very well connected in new york had their chocolate, and you know what? Maybe a kit kat bar was fifty cents, whatever and from that one experience, there was millions of dollars of revenue generated for the charter companies, so those small little interactions in moments the ripple effect of them khun b really great. So think about all of your interactions across the stream in your asks it's. Also, you know, one thing is to figure out, can you make your presentation without your materials? Sometimes they're going to be times when technology goes down. Are you ready for that? Can you adapt and deal with that appropriately?