Nobody likes to ask for help.
But in a world where we’ve been taught that asking for help is a weakness, it’s more important now than ever before to get comfortable asking for help.
So says my latest guests, Jessica Lalley & Eden Hansing. Jessica is the founder of Voices to Connect, and Eden is the Community Manager at Peak Community, and they joined us on this episode to talk about the power of asking for help.
How do people best engage?
Jessica: What I have found over the years is just the more specific we can be with our ask, the better — and also, we’re not wearing people out.
A lot of it is figuring out people’s personalities and styles. How do they best engage? Some people just want to text, for example.
And it’s not just asking, it’s also circling back with that person and letting them know how what they did helped you. Whether it led to success or not.
I know that many times, I have served as a reference for someone for a job. And it really keeps the relationship going when they circle back and say: “Thank you for that. I ended up not getting the job,” or “I did get the job.”
Being clear on the ask is super important.
Make Your Asks SMART
Jessica: This is where we get down to, “How are we going to ask for help?” These are SMART goals. You guys know these probably I’m sure I learned these in college, and that this is how we’re going to set up our question.
SMART goals are going to be specific, measurable — I use measurable over meaningful, more often, because I just think it’s a little bit more tangible when you’re crafting your question.
Your question has to be actionable, obviously, realistic and time-bound. I think time-bound is the one that we forget the most.
Let others know how you can help
One thing that is kind of a neat thing to do is in your phone, make yourself a contact. I know that we’re not exchanging business cards as much anymore, but set yourself a profile up in your phone as your name.
And then in the notes or in a link, you can also put your LinkedIn profile or your social media handles, but then list your three like top ninja skills.
That way, when you share that with somebody, I think it accelerates how you can help them. So you might say I am, you know, a social media expert or something, maybe on a personal basis, I know all about coffee, or I know the best restaurants to go to.
It’s just a fun way to personalize when you’re connecting with people.
This is a #FlipMyFunnel podcast. Check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here.
And if a thriving community of growth-oriented marketers sounds like your kind of place, be sure to check out PEAK Community.
