People feel an obligation to help others in need.

Harvard Business School Professor Felix Oberholzer-Gee did an experiment (similar but different than the Robert Cialdini experiment I wrote about a few weeks ago).

Oberholzer-Gee asked people if he could cut in line and found the more he offered to pay, the more people said yes.  But no one would actually take his money. They just wanted to help.

This same principle works for you in finding new customers. If you ask your friends and customers to help you meet someone or grow your business, they will. You don’t need to pay them to do it – or pay anyone for that matter.

The problem with most of us is that we don’t state specifically who we need help meeting. We just ask for business.  Asking for business is better than not asking, but asking to meet their friend Jim Smith is WAY better.

Try it.