Enough! ASK for What You Deserve and Quit Whining!

My friends, the moment has come. You have passion and you have confidence. You polished your value proposition until it shines like fine silver. You built relationships; built trust, built understanding, educated those around you and they have learned from you. You have always focused on the needs of the people who have the power to give you the “yes” you want. You committed yourselves fully to their success. It’s time.

It’s time to ask for what you want. Go get that “yes” that you deserve.

What? You didn’t think this day would ever come? Of course it was coming! The title of my next book is Everyone’s in Sales; Stop Apologizing and the point of selling is what we all do with every conversation to get what you need, want, and deserve.

There are two other important words in the title. Those words are “Stop Apologizing!” And those two words are really important right here, right now because the biggest problem the “sales apologist syndrome” causes happens when you get to the point that it’s time to ask for what you want. When it’s time to ask for the order or the new project or the new job or more money or the contribution or the date or the favor or the referral, help answering a question or solving a problem, a part in the summer theater production of The Mikado – whatever it is you want. You get to this point and the sales apologists in us take over and you do what?

You don’t ask and you didn’t get. You get scared off and think “maybe another day”.

I know asking can be tough. I’ve seen really good professional sales men and women stumble over asking for the “yes” when it was the right time to ask for it. I’ve done it. The sales apologist in us gets the upper hand. The sales apologist in us whispers “Maybe you don’t deserve to get this, so don’t ask.” The sales apologist in us taps our shoulders and says, “Selling is not a good thing and if you ask for what you want, you’ll be selling.” The sabotaging sales apologist in us creeps up behind our back and hisses, “What if they say ‘no’? Then what will you do?”

There are lots of reasons why I’ve talked about “selling the right way” and how you don’t need to apologize when you sell right. This moment, here, is one of the big ones. Confidence is important in this moment, and integrity is even more important. Being great at what you do is vital. Relationships and trust are key. The listening and the learning and our commitment to other people’s success – crucial. All these things give us power that you deserve. Because when you do these things, and do them well, when you sell the right way, that means you’veearned the right to ask for what you want.

So ask for something today. You have earned the right dammit!