Many books have been written and TED Talks given about the power of "asking."
What hasn't been made clear is how, and in what way, we're supposed to ask.
Some of the greatest business and entertainment achievers in the world--people like Steve Jobs, record producer Jimmy Iovine, etc.--have proven that the ability to use the phone effectively and persistently, is directly related to achieving massive growth and success in any field.
Steve Jobs famously describes getting his first big break in tech when he was twelve years old by simply picking up the phone and calling Bill Hewlett. He asked him if he had any spare parts for a frequency counter he was working on. Bill Hewlett not only gave Jobs the spare parts, but also gave him his first tech job working on a frequency counter assembly line.
In the entertainment industry, top producers, writers, directors, and reps who don't use the telephone to pitch their projects and clients rarely have an impact, or get big results for themselves or their clients.
No matter the industry, your success potential is directly related to how visible you make yourself, and your ability to build and maintain game changing relationships with industry movers and shakers.
Attempting to build important relationships via email is the equivalent of chewing gum and blowing a bubble in the hopes that when it pops, all of your greatest career dreams may come true.
The reality is that your email will most likely fall into a sea of thousands of other emails. You become the needle in the haystack.
Most modern technological innovations offer us tools to protect us from the perceived 'danger' of live verbal communication, and interacting with other people. Instead, much of our communication is now done behind a screen, from the 'safety' of our private space.
For many people, communicating via email is easy and can seem like the safer choice as opposed to person-to-person communication, because you don't have to worry about the threat of hearing an immediate "No." Ultimately, sending texts and emails are the safest and best options for those who are afraid of failure.
Unfortunately, this safety net rarely has the impact needed to take you to the next level.
Emails that are sent without an initial phone, or in-person connection, are dead in the water.
Proper use of the phone before sending an email allows you the exclusive right to use the badass subject line: "As per our conversation."
The bottom line is that emails are easy to ignore. The phone is one of the last remaining tools that can't be ignored. In fact, it's harder for someone to say "no" when speaking on the phone (or in-person).
Several of my clients describe that it actually "hurts their chest" to think about picking up the telephone to make pitches.
There certainly is a right way and a wrong way to directly pitch yourself via a telephone.
Phone pitches can be one of the scariest options, as many people feel like they don't have the right to use the phone.
I coach my clients to adopt a unique body attitude of ironclad confidence, within seconds, to empower them to pick up the telephone to build game-changing relationships with future partners, investors, and business leads.
One's confidence and ability to be "pleasantly persistent" in speaking up for yourself is directly related to your success in any industry.
Waiting around for anything to magically fall into your lap is a losing proposition.
Sometimes, in being proactive and essentially sticking your neck out for yourself, you might burn your hand. But if your career is worth it to you, you have to be willing to do this.
This article was originally posted on Inc