Description
Book SynopsisAsking is more than a skillit''s a lifestyle The Ask is your personal manual for building the best, most fulfilling personal and professional life possible. Crafting the perfect ask can fund your new business, support your favorite charity, and get more quality time with your significant otherbut it can do so much more than that. It can change your life. In learning how to ask for what you really want and deserve, you lose your fear of rejection and judgement. You create the greatest sense of self-worth that no one can give you, you give it to yourself when you ask. The critical moment is when you turn your skills inward and make the hardest asks, the ones you ask yourself. This book is designed to make you an Exceptional Asker, and in the process, give you the confidence and skills you need to achieve all your goals and realize your dreams. You''ll learn how to prepare, what words to use, what to avoid, and how to follow up, and you''ll purge the natural hesita
Table of Contents
Preface xiii
Introduction xxi
Part I What Will THE ASK Do for You? 1
1 What Is THE ASK? 3
What Does Money Mean to You? 8
Money Is Opportunity 12
What Does Money Mean to the Person You Are Asking? 12
Do You Have Money Wellness? 16
Money Blockers 18
2 Why Should People Ask? 23
Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Ask 26
When Not to Ask 34
The Person You Want to Ask Is Going Through a Rough Time 34
You Are Not Ready or You Are Unsure of Your Ask 35
Your Ask Will Be Confusing 35
Asking Mantras That Will Serve You Well 36
The Quality of Your Life is Determined by the Quality Questions You Ask Yourself and Others 37
When You Ask for Money You Are Not Taking Something Away, You Are Giving an Opportunity 39
THE ASK Is a Conversation, Not a Confrontation 41
3 Why People Do Not Ask 43
The Top 15 Reasons Why People Do Not Ask 46
Part II How Should You Ask? 61
4 How to Be an Exceptional Asker 63
The 10 Essential Characteristics of an Exceptional Asker 65
Actions to Take before You Ask 73
Three Questions that Come before Any Ask 79
5 The 5-Step Foolproof Method for Any Ask 85
Know Exactly What You Want 88
Prepare the Conversation 90
Deliver with Confidence 92
Clarify What You Think You Heard 94
Plan Your Next Move at the Ask 98
THE ASK—It’s Two Sentences and a Question 99
6 How to Keep Your Ask on Track 103
Was Your Ask Really an ASK? 105
Asking U-Turns 112
Asking Mistakes 120
Five Ways to Turn a Bad Ask into a Win 122
Part III What Can You Ask For? 133
7 THE ASK for Business—The Stories and the Lessons 135
Too Big to Learn 137
Pay Me What I’m Worth 143
8 THE ASK for Philanthropy—The Stories and the Lessons 151
So Close, Yet So Far 153
I Really Don’t Know Anyone Who Could Support Us 159
9 THE ASK for Everyday Living—The Stories and The Lessons 165
Is This a Room, or Is This a Closet? 168
The Spender versus the Saver 171
10 The Hardest Asks You Will Ever Make 179
The Asks You Need to Make for Yourself 182
Laura’s Story—The Hardest Asks I Have Ever Made 189
Conclusion 201
About the Author 205
Index 209
