Most people,
if feeling obliged
to say yes to a task
or to an obligation,
will do a sh*t job
at it.
It is often MUCH better
to find someone
who truly wants
to say yes.
So give the person
you’re asking
an easy way
to say no.
I usually give them a choice.
“Could you promote my book
in your newsletter
or
help spread the word
in some other way?”
“Do you want to help
with this charity event
or
will you be an attendee only?”
Give people an easy way
to say no.
A loved one calls
at least once a day
to ask me
to remind another loved one
to do certain things.
That’s not happening.
Because I have things
I want this loved one
to do for me
also.
Her top priorities
aren’t my top priorities.
Not by a long shot.
And she can remind him
herself
when she talks with him
multiple times a day.
That’s a task
that doesn’t need delegating.
Your priorities
aren’t likely to be
someone else’s priorities.
Remember that
when you ask for help.
I received a gazillion messages a day
from writers
asking me to help promote
their books.
If they don’t mention something
that is specific to me,
if the message is generic,
I ignore it.
And I’m more likely to ignore
their next message.
Seth Godin
shares
“If you ask 100 people
for a favor
to “get the word out,”
then of course
you don’t care so much
if 80 or 90 people decline.
The problem is that
you’ve just hurt the relationship
you had with these people
(as thin as it was)
as well as made it more difficult
for the next person,
the one who actually
put some effort and care
into making a connection.”
There IS a downside
to mass requesting favors.
Think before you do this.