Shortly after opening her new business, Janet was confronted with a task she disliked-–asking for money. So much so, Janet looked for every excuse to avoid asking delinquent customers for payment. Whenever Janet had to ask anyone for anything, she felt “funny” about it as asking others went against her spirit of independence and self-reliance. Asking made her feel dependent. A feeling she did not enjoy. Fortunately, after a few minor cash problems, Janet rose to the challenge and overcame her discomfort of asking. As any successful entrepreneur knows, starting a business is an innovative and enterprising act. It requires courage, faith in the future, and assertive behavior to make it happen. The very act of launching the business requires asking others. Asking means taking the initiative. It is not a passive activity; it is putting forth an effort to make something happen. It, also, means accepting the risk of rejection. Which will happen. If you are to be an entrepreneur, be prepared to ask much of others and you can not be squeamish about it. If your business is to be a reality, you must ask others to have faith in you. You must ask others to trust you. You must ask others to lend you money. You must ask people to invest with you. You must ask potential customers to buy from you. You must ask your customers to pay you. As a business owner, you will spend much of your time asking others to do things for you. In my book Fail Proof Your Business, I wrote that asking to be paid from your customers is routine. I stress that if you are not prepared to ask for your money, do not extend credit. Put your fears aside, it is not difficult to do. After asking a few customers a few times, and getting checks in the mail, you may come to enjoy the task. As you will find out, customers who are slow in paying their bills, expect to be asked. Some, for whatever purpose, may attempt to delay everyone they owe. It is those creditors who ask, who is paid. Do not assume customers will automatically send you what they owe you, they too, may have cash flow problems. Asking for what is owed to you is not begging it is good business. For some people, asking customers to buy is difficult. A customer may have an obligation to pay you, but they do not have an obligation to buy from you. Asking for business may strike at the heart of your fear of asking because with it brings rejection. You may expect to hear “no” frequently but it is the price of success. Regardless of how you feel there is no way around it, selling is challenging, and necessary if you are to stay in business. With a little training, most anyone can master the basics. First, any no you get is not about you as a person, it is about the product or service you are offering. Try to separate the two; personal rejection and product rejection are not related. Be stubborn, keep asking until you hear yes! If you are building your business by selling to other businesses, remember this expression: “People want to do business with people who want to do business.” If you have trouble asking for the order, how serious are you about it? If you cannot bring yourself to do so, then go into the mail order business or open a parking lot. Regardless of your personality or background, you can learn to ask. Anyone can. Just put aside those childhood hang-ups of being told it is not polite to ask. And forget about feeling hurt or rejected if you are told no. Focus on the positive image of your successful business and hold that image as a goal above any obstacle or resistance. You must believe that your determination will succeed. If you do not ask you will never know. Copyright 1999, 2000 Paul E Adams Dr. Paul E. Adams is an entrepreneur, Professor Emeritus Ramapo College of New Jersey and the author of Fail Proof Your Business: Beat the Odds and be Successful.