The Ask

Chapter 5The 5-Step Foolproof Method for Any Ask

We are at the heart of this book in this chapter. Read it, re-read it, take notes, or put tabs on the pages, because this chapter is the playbook to your asking success. As I stated in the preface, I have put organization, structure, and focus on the ask, and you will see in this chapter exactly what that means. If you follow the steps I lay out here and practice them with any ask you need to make, you will be abundantly amazed at what you can get. I must say this part of the book is a personal favorite of mine. If you remember anything in this book or need to highlight anything in this book, this is the place to do it. I created this process a few years ago, and I use it in all my asks. Throughout my years of listening and observing the way people have asked for such things as an upgrade to their travel arrangements, advice on financial retirement, more cooperation from their children, or a salary increase, I discovered that if they had only followed these five steps, they would have gotten exactly what they wanted.

These five steps do take more time and more preparation than the three questions that come before any ask that we saw in Chapter 4, but trust me; they are worth it. This is where my organization, structure, and focus model really comes into play. These five steps are very structured, and they should be followed in order—no skipping here! I like to say that each step is a box. Once you have done step 1, check it off, ...