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If you find yourself constantly asking for favors in business, you’re doing something wrong.
This spark came when I was watching Alpha Dog the other day. Yes, my inspiration for posts come from some really weird places…
The one guy was pitching a drug deal to Emile Hirsch’s character. When Emile started questioning him, the guy said “I’m not looking for any favors… if it makes sense, then do it. If not, fuck it.”
Whether you’re pitching bloggers, seeking partnerships, looking for funding or seeking any other kind of business arrangement, you can’t go into it with the mentality that you need them, and that they’d be doing you a favor by helping you.
I see it all the time. I’ve even done it myself. You reach out to others to see if they’ll be kind enough to promote your blog post, or your projects. You want them to help you. You need them to help you. How else can you succeed? This causes a few problems:
- You come across as needy. It makes you look bad and degrades your image as a confident professional.
- You become reliant on others. Always relying on others to help you succeed, you’ll quickly fail as soon as that option is no longer there.
- You use up your resources. People aren’t going to help you all the time. You cash in on a favor, and you may not get many more. In fact…
- You’re indebted. Asking everyone else for help means that you would now be expected to help them whenever they call.
Instead of looking for favors, look for opportunities to help them. If you can propose a deal that benefits both parties, you’re not doing each other favors, you’re doing business.
When reaching out to bloggers, don’t ask them to review your website. Explain to them exactly why your website will be valuable to their readers, how else you can provide value to them and explain what you would expect in return.
When you’re creating partnerships, make sure you’re identifying value for both parties. They need you just as much as you need them.
I’m not saying you should never turn to others for help. It’s important to know when you can use someone else’s help and be big enough to ask for it. Business can be personal, but it’s still business. It’s exchanging value for value.
Are you focused on asking for favors or doing business?
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