An old boss of mine once told a story about something that affected him when he was on holiday, but first let me explain what this boss was like. He was very driven, very focused, very good at sales, drove a Ferrari and lived on a Golf course. Yep the kind of guy you love to hate!
Actually of all his talents the best one was his way to impart knowledge. He was a mesmerising speaker and a great teacher. Whether I have blown this up through nostalgia and the naivety of my youth I will never know, but I learned a lot from him so I guess it doesn’t matter.
So you can imagine this type of man sought to be exceptional, it was in his very nature, he sought out successful people wherever he encountered them so when he was on holiday in the Caribbean he was fascinated by one man in his hotel. Everywhere this guy went he got immaculate service. He was brought a drink on the beach every hour, he got the same (great seat) in the hotel restaurant every time he ate there, in fact the way he was treated was like a celebrity or perhaps an owner, he even had one of the hotel staff bring him a freshly opened Coconut with a straw for what is known as ‘tree juice’.
My old boss could not resist the chance to speak with the guy and find out why his treatment was so much better than everyone else, so he walked up to him one day and said. “Excuse me but I can’t help noticing that you get amazing treatment here at the hotel, what is your secret? Are you an owner or an investor of some sort?”
“Ahh..a man after my own heart” the man said, slightly confusing my boss “Nope, I am neither an owner nor an investor, I have a secret, buy me lunch and I will let you in on it”. The two arranged lunch, the wives chatted and got on very well but my old boss was impatient for the ‘secret’. The man said “I will write it down for you so you don’t forget it”. He took a serviette and wrote on it, folded it up neatly and gave it back to my boss as if it contained a diamond.
The serviette was promptly open and on it was written the word ‘ASK’. My boss looked at the man puzzled. The man went on to explain that everything in life he had, had been driven by his need to ask questions and ask for what he wanted.
On arriving at the hotel, he had gone to the beach bar, introduced himself and asked the waiter to bring him his favourite drink every half hour. He told the hotel restaurant the nights he would be dining there and asked if they wouldn’t mind booking the same table for him each night and he asked the concierge if he could organise some tree juice when the hotel bus came back from town each day. He also explained how his business life had been turned around by this one secret “And now I can pass the secret onto you, because you asked”
As simple as this seems, it had a profound affect on my life. We are all told when we are at Sunday school ‘Ask and you shall recieve’. More accurately the Biblical text in Luke 11:9 says “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you”
I use the Biblical reference because it is the most famous, but others have said similar things, Elbert Hubbard, the American writer said ““We find what we expect to find, and we receive what we ask for”.
After hearing this lesson it became ingrained on my consciousness ‘..ASK’. So that is exactly what I have done since I was twenty years old and you know what? It’s great fun and it works… but here is the secret to why it works;
Contrary to what the TV and media will have you believe, in general people are good, they want to help. They want to have the release that is chemically given (serotonin) that comes from an act of kindness or giving. Most people love to be appreciated for going above and beyond and most people enjoy it when they are asked to do something for someone else who appreciates it.
I will give you one example. I love smoked salmon and scrambled egg… I just love it, but very few restaurant offer this. So if the restaurant is not to busy, or sometimes even if it is, when asked what I would like to order I say “What I would really like is to order some smoked salmon and scrambled egg. I notice you have salmon on the menu and I am sure you have eggs. Would you ask the chef, if it is not to much trouble would he be able to prepare this for me. Please let him know if he is too busy - I understand, it is just that I am really in the mood for it. Would you ask?”
Invariably, a few moments later I get a smiling waiter/waitress who informs me that the chef would be happy to prepare it and you know what, usually such a simple dish comes out with immaculate presentation of a chef who takes pride in his work. Sometime I am told the kitchen is too busy, but it is always polite and getting turned down one in ten times is no great stress to enjoy my favourite dish, prepared just for me.
Even recently I ask a group of entrepreneurs for help in writing an eBook, I have had so many emails that I am still answering each one. Trust me, people want to help, all you have to do is ask.
So, I urge you to try this today, go ahead, ask for something you want that is not on the menu, ask a girl out that you have been meaning to for some time, ask for something out of the ordinary in your favourite hotel, ask your employees for something, ask your boss for something or even get on the tweetboard on the left and ask me for something! You will be surprised with what you get.
Before I leave you with this powerful secret I will say one thing, your questions must be polite, you request within the possibilities of whomever you are asking and you must show your gratitude when your request is completed. If you follow these rules it will be much more fun and rewarding.
Regards
David
@TheMarketMaker
Actually of all his talents the best one was his way to impart knowledge. He was a mesmerising speaker and a great teacher. Whether I have blown this up through nostalgia and the naivety of my youth I will never know, but I learned a lot from him so I guess it doesn’t matter.
So you can imagine this type of man sought to be exceptional, it was in his very nature, he sought out successful people wherever he encountered them so when he was on holiday in the Caribbean he was fascinated by one man in his hotel. Everywhere this guy went he got immaculate service. He was brought a drink on the beach every hour, he got the same (great seat) in the hotel restaurant every time he ate there, in fact the way he was treated was like a celebrity or perhaps an owner, he even had one of the hotel staff bring him a freshly opened Coconut with a straw for what is known as ‘tree juice’.
My old boss could not resist the chance to speak with the guy and find out why his treatment was so much better than everyone else, so he walked up to him one day and said. “Excuse me but I can’t help noticing that you get amazing treatment here at the hotel, what is your secret? Are you an owner or an investor of some sort?”
“Ahh..a man after my own heart” the man said, slightly confusing my boss “Nope, I am neither an owner nor an investor, I have a secret, buy me lunch and I will let you in on it”. The two arranged lunch, the wives chatted and got on very well but my old boss was impatient for the ‘secret’. The man said “I will write it down for you so you don’t forget it”. He took a serviette and wrote on it, folded it up neatly and gave it back to my boss as if it contained a diamond.
The serviette was promptly open and on it was written the word ‘ASK’. My boss looked at the man puzzled. The man went on to explain that everything in life he had, had been driven by his need to ask questions and ask for what he wanted.
On arriving at the hotel, he had gone to the beach bar, introduced himself and asked the waiter to bring him his favourite drink every half hour. He told the hotel restaurant the nights he would be dining there and asked if they wouldn’t mind booking the same table for him each night and he asked the concierge if he could organise some tree juice when the hotel bus came back from town each day. He also explained how his business life had been turned around by this one secret “And now I can pass the secret onto you, because you asked”
As simple as this seems, it had a profound affect on my life. We are all told when we are at Sunday school ‘Ask and you shall recieve’. More accurately the Biblical text in Luke 11:9 says “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you”
I use the Biblical reference because it is the most famous, but others have said similar things, Elbert Hubbard, the American writer said ““We find what we expect to find, and we receive what we ask for”.
After hearing this lesson it became ingrained on my consciousness ‘..ASK’. So that is exactly what I have done since I was twenty years old and you know what? It’s great fun and it works… but here is the secret to why it works;
Contrary to what the TV and media will have you believe, in general people are good, they want to help. They want to have the release that is chemically given (serotonin) that comes from an act of kindness or giving. Most people love to be appreciated for going above and beyond and most people enjoy it when they are asked to do something for someone else who appreciates it.
I will give you one example. I love smoked salmon and scrambled egg… I just love it, but very few restaurant offer this. So if the restaurant is not to busy, or sometimes even if it is, when asked what I would like to order I say “What I would really like is to order some smoked salmon and scrambled egg. I notice you have salmon on the menu and I am sure you have eggs. Would you ask the chef, if it is not to much trouble would he be able to prepare this for me. Please let him know if he is too busy - I understand, it is just that I am really in the mood for it. Would you ask?”
Invariably, a few moments later I get a smiling waiter/waitress who informs me that the chef would be happy to prepare it and you know what, usually such a simple dish comes out with immaculate presentation of a chef who takes pride in his work. Sometime I am told the kitchen is too busy, but it is always polite and getting turned down one in ten times is no great stress to enjoy my favourite dish, prepared just for me.
Even recently I ask a group of entrepreneurs for help in writing an eBook, I have had so many emails that I am still answering each one. Trust me, people want to help, all you have to do is ask.
So, I urge you to try this today, go ahead, ask for something you want that is not on the menu, ask a girl out that you have been meaning to for some time, ask for something out of the ordinary in your favourite hotel, ask your employees for something, ask your boss for something or even get on the tweetboard on the left and ask me for something! You will be surprised with what you get.
Before I leave you with this powerful secret I will say one thing, your questions must be polite, you request within the possibilities of whomever you are asking and you must show your gratitude when your request is completed. If you follow these rules it will be much more fun and rewarding.
Regards
David
@TheMarketMaker
TheMarketMaker
View all posts by TheMarketMaker
s Blog
s Blog
Have your blog linked by becoming featured here as a guest post writer on OneLifeNoFear.com. Click here to learn how to become a guest post author.
Great post and story… I also love salmon but never though of having it with eggs, will give it a try! Asking is the first step, the second is not being scared to ask again should you be turned down the next time around (your 1 in 10 response to your salmon/eggs request).
Jon @ WoodMarvels.com
Yep… persistence is the key…and try the Salmon with eggs…it’s awesome!
Very informative article. Now I would like to know if you could help find me a grant for a young african american female like myself to start my very 1st children salon in my area.