The Power Of The Ask – 6 Strategies To Increase Your Business

A very fundamental belief we have all heard is, “Ask and you shall receive.”  As a parent teaching my children about manners one of my most used phrases was “Use your words”.  It was my goal to teach them to get beyond the whining and crying for something they needed and to begin using their words to ask for it.

Yet, somehow as adults we seem to have lost our ability to ask and some are still stuck in that whining stage when the things they want don’t come to them. We come up with all sorts of excuses and reasons NOT to ask to avoid any possibility of rejection.

If you are not moving closer to what you want, you probably aren’t doing enough asking. The world responds to those who ask. Here are six asking strategies you can implement in your marketing (and in life) to boost your results:

1. Ask for More Information

To land new clients, subscribers or sponsors you first need to know what their current business challenges are, what their desired outcome is and how they’re planning on accomplishing it. You build your solutions based on their needs  and demonstrate you your unique product or service can help them achieve their goals

Ask open-ended questions (who, why, what, where, when and how) to have your client explain to you what they are seeking in their own words rather than giving yes or no answers. Once you truly understand and appreciate a prospect’s needs you can then offer a needs based solution.

2. Ask for Business

Many Marketers and Salespeople will spend hours creating a beautiful and informative presentation then leave out the most important part – the request for business!  Don’t depend on images and fancy websites to do your selling for you.  You must add a call to action to your presentation.  Use your words.  Ask.

Always ask a closing question to secure the business. Don’t be afraid to ask or waffle around it.  Your potential clients are expecting you to ask for their business so, don’t let them down…or worse, wait for your them to ask you!

3. Ask for Recommendations

Well-written testimonials from respected people are powerful for future sales. They confirm the quality of your product or service and leverage you as a person who has integrity, is trustworthy and gets the job done on time.

The best time to ask is right after you have provided excellent service, gone the extra mile to help out, or have really made your client happy.

LinkedIn works great when asking for referrals.  You can either simply ask if your contact would be willing to give you a testimonial about the value of your product or service…or, usually, if you recommend someone that you respect and have done business with they will return the favor.

4. Ask for Referrals

Just about everyone in business knows the importance of referrals and word of mouth marketing. It’s the easiest, least expensive way of ensuring your growth and success in the marketplace. The business world is very much a “who you know” market, but social media has made it much easier to get to know top influencers.  Increase your ROI by borrowing influence and asking for a referral.

Your core clients will gladly give you referrals because you treat them so well.  Make it a habit to ask for referrals after every sale. It’s a habit that will dramatically increase your income. Like any other habit, the more you do it the easier it becomes.

5. Ask for More Business

Look for other products or services you can provide your customers. Every good sales person knows that it’s much easier to sell an existing client than it is to go searching for new ones.  This is why it’s important to start creating an email list early on in your business development.

If you sell a product, think about creating  a system that tells you when your clients will require more of your products.  If you sell a service, be prepared for the next level of your client’s education by continuing to offer more in depth and advanced training.

6. Ask for Feedback

How do you really know if your product or service is meeting your customers’ needs? Ask them, “How are we doing? What can we do to improve our service to you? Please share what you like or don’t like about our products.” Set up regular customer surveys that ask good questions and tough questions. It’s a powerful way to fine-tune your business.

Please leave me YOUR feedback, below in the comments.  I try to provide my readers with information they will find useful.  How am I doing?  Is there any area you would like to hear more about?  Less?  Where are your business challenges?  I love (and need) to hear from you!

To Your Success,

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Tagged as:  increase your business · Marketing With Social Media · power of asking · small business