You walk up to the stranger’s door… pause for a moment to think about what you’re going to say… check your zipper one last time… and then… knock.
What awaits you behind that door is the person to whom you are going to make “The Big Ask”. Maybe you’re selling girl scout cookies, vacuums, or magazines. Maybe you are collecting signatures for a petition or inviting people to a local event. No matter what you’ve been involved in, almost all of us have had to make “The Big Ask” at one point or another.
While the concept of door-to-door sales is familiar to most of us, this post is about how that type of courage, preparation, and perseverance applies to pitching your great idea to a friend, mentor, or venture capitalist. In order to get someone to buy into your idea, it takes:
1. COURAGE.
Before you can make “The Big Ask,” you must first get past the idea that you might be rejected. When I went door-to-door selling trinkets for my school as a kid, it didn’t take me long to realize that rejection was a big part of the task. Once I got more used to it, I got past the fear of rejection and came to the realization that I needed more deliberate preparation.
2. PREPARATION
Michael Hyatt wrote a brilliant blog entitled “The Four Components of a Compelling Elevator Pitch” in which he explained that we generally have about 30 seconds to pitch our idea to a stranger before they a) lose interest, or b) get distracted. Because this time is so short, it is imperative that you nail down, write out, and rehearse your “Big Ask” long before you plan to make it.
3. PERSEVERANCE
As the old saying goes, if at first you don’t succeed… don’t try skydiving… I mean…try, try again. Not giving up on your dream or idea is absolutely critical to its success! I won’t even begin to site examples because almost anyone on the planet who has ever achieved something has spent a reasonable amount of time failing and getting rejected.
Good luck on your “Big Ask.” If you need somebody to practice on, I’m all ears..
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Curtis, thanks for the link to Michael Hyatt. Not a big proponent but I do read his blog ocassionally. The elevator pitch is huge for sure and if you have ever tried to write one that sounds natural and conversational then you know the challenge.
You post goes very well with Julien Smith’s book The Flinch. I may have mentioned it before and if I have excuse me. If not here’s a link http://theviewfromhere.ca/2011/12/07/flinch-a-solid-punch-in-the-face/ The book examines the realization that we tend to stop ourselves when we are about to do something difficult or out of our comfort zone and helps us recognize why.
Once we have passed the courage stage the other two elements above certainly give you a good chance for success. The biggest one for me is perserverence. So many times do we just give up if we don’t succeed the first time. Maybe you can add failure to that list. Failure is a catalyst for improvement which is imperative in learning to hone your craft.
Great post and thought provoking, for sure.
Thanks Ralph! Ill definitely check out The Flinch. I would also agree that perseverance, along with failure, are absolutely critical. I would almost throw “confusion” in there too. Its difficult to learn something new when you think you already know everything!
As the old saying goes, if at first you don’t succeed… don’t try skydiving… I mean…try, try again.
Lol, great post. I think, with preparation and perseverance, you naturally build up courage. One of the reasons why I prepare so much sometimes is because I honestly am lacking courage or because I experience that fear
Keep up the great posts,
-Eric
I think you’re right Eric. Preparation can definitely help build confidence; and I think that attempting something you don’t feel “ready” to do builds courage as well!