Entrepreneurial Success Part 6: Always Ask for Business

Part 6 of Brianlinton.com’s Series for Entrepreneurial Success | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 |

So you’ve prepared a killer presentation, you have a great product, and you tell a potential customer all about why she should buy what you are selling.  At the end of the presentation the potential customer asks some questions and you answer them.  You shake hands and she tells you, “We’ll be in touch”.  You walk away wondering why she didn’t buy.  And you worry because you know the likelihood that she will buy after saying “we’ll be in touch” is very low.

So what went wrong?

You didn’t ask for her business.

In this case, not asking for business is the difference between success and failure.
Despite how simple asking for business is, many entrepreneurs don’t directly ask their potential customers to buy their product or service.

Why some people do not ask for the sale

1. Some people don’t ask because they forget – they are too caught up in everything else (the product, pitch and details)

2. Others don’t ask because they’re scared – they take rejection personally

3. Lastly, some don’t ask because they think it is rude

However, on occasion you won’t have to ask for business, some people may offer it to you before you finish your pitch.  This is a great scenario and a guaranteed sale.  Once this happens stop pitching and start writing.  If they give you their business they have already been sold on your product or service, and excessive talking only has the potential to turn them off of what they are buying.

This previous example is the best scenario somebody who often forgets or is scared to ask for business can face, in fact it is one of the only ways these entrepreneurs will get business.

Forgetful entrepreneurs and scared entrepreneurs will never reach their full potential.  And the only way to reach their full potential is to start asking for business.  To do so, a forgetful entrepreneur needs to work hard on remembering to ask for the sale before shaking hands and saying goodbye.  A scared entrepreneur has to realize that some people will say no, and you can’t take it personally if that happens.  An entrepreneur who thinks it is rude to candidly ask for business must realize that this question is a natural and accepted question in business. If somebody allows you to pitch a product or service to them, they expect you to ask for their business, and if you don’t ask they may decide to use more time to think about it before buying, which many times will just be more time for them to forget about you and your offerings.

Now I could give you examples of how I have asked for business and gotten it, but those stories will just elaborate on the above points.  Instead, I encourage you to figure out what kind of entrepreneur you are and then work to make sure you always ask a potential customer for their business.

Are you an entrepreneur that always asks for business?
Are you scared to ask for business?
Or do you just plain forget to ask for business?

Once you recognize what type of entrepreneur you are, you will find it easier to ask for business and you will experience greater success as a result.

Obviously, how you pitch and the product or service you offer play an even more important role in whether or not you will be successful, but that is a different issue and will be addressed in a future article.  For now, start asking for business!

How do you ask for business? Tell us in the comment section?  Are their occasions you don’t ask for business, why?

| Part 1: Have a Great Personal Story | Part 2: Be Serial at a Young Age | Part 3: Blag About Yourself | Part 4: Live What You Sell | Part 5: Be the Nicest Person Your Customers Know | Part 6: Always Ask For Business | Part 7: Always Seek Great PR | Part 8: Get People Talking About You and Your Company | Part 9: Sell Something you are Passionate about and can Easily Get |