Ask And You Shall Receive

Gentlemen,

I’m writing this newsletter from first class.

This would be a sweet flex if I paid for it, but I didn’t.

In fact, I paid for the cheapest seat on the flight. Why, then, am I sitting in 2A?

Because I asked.

A couple months ago a mentor of mine told me there’s 3 words that, if used properly, will get me more access, more connections, more discounts, more deals, more money, more first class seats, more smiles, more laughs, and more of many good things. He said that sometimes I’ll get told no, sometimes the person to whom I’m speaking will look at me funny, but most of the time, I will get what I want and the interaction will leave both participants smiling.

What are these 3 powerful words?

First, I’ll tell you the simple story of how I got this first class seat.

While waiting at the gate for my flight back to Austin, I was preparing myself for the uncomfortable 2 hour trek ahead of me. My seat was 12C - the middle of the small regional jet. I’m a big guy so coach is not a pleasant experience for me. In hopes of alleviating 2 hours of discomfort and remembering what my mentor told me, I walked up to the gate desk, smiled and asked the lady the powerful 3 words… “What’s the chance there’s an upgrade available?”

After a brief exchange I refreshed the app and bam… 2A. No extra money. No upgrade fee. From the middle of the plane, uncomfortable and crammed to spacious first class… for free. I walked away with a first class seat and she was smiling.

Win-win.

As you’re aware, a 2 hour flight is not a profound example, but it’s not irrelevant and it illustrates the point clearly:

Asking “What’s the chance…” can change seemingly futile interactions into momentum building and frequency raising inflection points.

It’s an asymmetric risk. If it works, you get what you want and when you get what you want, you’re invigorated to take more action. If it doesn’t work there’s legitmately ZERO downside.

If someone were to offer you first class tickets, 10% discounts on coffee, and faster service at the body shop for free, you would take it. Especially if the price was asking a simple question and getting told no on occasion.

The wild part is that’s literally how it works. All of these can happen if you simply ask. The very worst that can happen if you ask “What’s the chance” in a polite and cordial tone is that the person looks at you funny and says no…

Who cares? You likely won’t ever see them again anyways and if you do, they’ll probably remember you as the funny guy who asked for a free ribeye.

Next time you’re at the coffee shop, ask, “What’s the chance this is half off?”

Next time you’re looking to outsource a service in business, ask, “What’s the chance we can meet at $X for this service?”

Next time you’re at the body shop to get your car fixed, ask, ”What’s the chance we can get this done by the end of the week?”

Next time you’re interested in a girl, ask, “What’s the chance I can take you to dinner this week?”

You get the point.

Here’s a challenge to you (and myself): ask “what’s the chance?” 5x this week.

See what happens and let me know how it works. You may just get more of what you want.

Onward & Upward,

Nolan

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