I recently reached out to a woman who has earned 7-figures in 18-months from speaking engagements. I wanted her to help me get the word out about my book, Unleash the Flow of Money.
It took a few tries for us to find a date as to when we could connect by phone. When we did, we chatted for about 20-minutes.
We took a quick moment to talk about the weather and then we got to business. I asked her what she was working on, then, she asked me what I was up to.
She then asked me more about my book, Unleash the Flow of Money. I spent a few minutes gushing about the book and the upcoming promotional effort. She listened patiently.
Then, her next question floored me…
“So, what do you need me to do?”
I creased my brow and blinked my eyes about a dozen times. The question surprised me. I even shared that with her on the phone. She laughed and said:
“It’s good for both of us if I’m clear on what you’d like me to do to support your book.”
So, I told her what I needed:
- A solo email to her list on the date the book is released
- Two to three tweets a day over three days
- Facebook posting on her fanpage
Because of the other things on her promotional calendar, she was only able to send tweets. I was good with that. I was clear on what she could deliver and she was clear on what I was looking for.
To create consistent cashflow, you need to be clear on the request…
I’ve said “No” to many joint venture requests because the person isn’t clear on what they need. It’s not entirely their fault. The person is super excited about the project they’re working on and haven’t really thought through the details.
I don’t mind excitement, but if the project is not well thought out, it means that the requirements will change well after I’ve already said “Yes.” And that’s so not cool because it then messes with my integrity.
Ask the golden question…
Aim to get more details before saying “Yes.” After the person excitedly tells you about their upcoming project, you can say the following:
“This sounds exciting. I’d love to help, but before I say ‘Yes,’ what do you need me to do?”
This one question will save you alot of headaches in the long run.
To be clear on what I want so that there won't be any surprises! This is an area I need to work on so I really appreciate you sharing this article.
No problem, thanks for commenting Lorraine! What information from this post are you going to (or have) implement?
Great information! Thanks for sharing!
Today's book club call is awesome. Definitely glad I cleared my calendar to have this live interaction. Praise God… He's helping me to gain wisdom and move forward in my business more than ever before because He has folks He wants/needs to bless through me.
Amen!