Are Your Asks Too Small?

A local business owner reached out to me during my Indiegogo campaign for the Reel Leadership book pre-sale (pre-sale ends August 30th at 3 AM EST). He wanted to know what he could do to help the campaign be successful.

Photo by Daniele Levis Pelusi on Unsplash

I rattled off a couple of things he could do that were on the top of my head. He could:

Share the Indiegogo campaign with people he knows
Like the posts that I was sharing about the book
Pray for success

These were small asks. Something simple I felt anyone could do. They were also small. TOO small.

After I shared with him my ideas, he said “Is that all?” And I was like “I think so…”

This businessman then replied that he had an idea he was willing to do. He asked me:

What do you think of this? For the next $500 worth of support, I will match it dollar for dollar.

It was a good thing we weren’t having this conversation in person. I think my jaw hit the ground when he made his suggestion.

My ask was small. His give was big.

Are Your Asks Too Small?

I want you to consider the asks that you make every day. What kind of requests are you making? Are they small, barely noticeable asks?

They probably are.

We can be timid in what we ask of others. We don’t want to bother them or make them think we’re greedy.

What we’re doing, in reality, is limiting what they can do. We’re holding back an opportunity for them to do something big.

The next time you ask someone to do something, think about the following:

Are they able to do more than this?
Am I asking out of fear?
What is their relationship to me?
Could I ask more?
Why am I making this request?
What would happen if I asked for more?

When we begin asking ourselves these questions, we can see there’s more to the story than we believed. Often the answers to these questions are different than the broken soundtrack we’re playing in our minds.

Here’s what happens when we begin to answer the above questions honestly…

Are they able to do more than this? – Yes, they often can. They are wanting to help out a friend, coworker, or a family member. By asking more, they are willing to give more.
Am I asking out of fear? – Yes. My fear is making me shrink back in what I should ask. This causes me to place a limitation on what I will get from my request.
What is their relationship to me? – They’re my best friend. They want to see me succeed. Why am I not asking more?
Could I ask more? – Of course, I can ask more. I’m scared to do this. I might be rejected. But, if I’m rejected, what will happen? Nothing.
Why am I making this request? – I believe in the work that I’m doing. I want to be able to complete this project, fundraiser, etc… to the best of my ability. If I don’t make requests to others, I cannot get this done. I need to be bold in my asks.
What would happen if I asked for more? – I could open up the opportunity for the giver to be blessed even more. They may say no but they may also say yes. I want to hear that yes!

Stop asking for small things. We do this too often. Instead, begin asking for bigger things. You will be surprised when you begin to receive what you’re asking.