Out of the many candidates I have known, a candidate from the US state of Georgia is the most impressive nuts and bolts campaigner I have ever encountered.
He shamelessly, in every single conversation I have ever had with him and every single conversation I have ever seen him have with anyone else, asked for money.
That is each conversation I have seen him have with every person who was not a member of his staff.
I mean, one night he asked me three times for money.
In one night.
Three times.
And I had already given him money and he was still asking for more.
This could not have been in a span of more than two hours.
Probably even less.
Do you know why he asked me for money?
Because he was speaking to me.
That’s what he does to everyone he speaks to.
Do you know why he does that?
Because he values his principles enough to be determined to fight for them and win for them.
I did not live in his district, so I could not vote for him. I lived very far from his district and was a busy professional so I was unlikely to volunteer for him. That left only one reason to speak to me during a campaign: to raise money.
I gave to his campaign already that night, but I also kept talking to him, so he kept asking for money each time we spoke further. I hadn’t given him all the money I could. He knew that and kept asking. Even if I had given all the money I could, he would still keep asking.
To some it may seem creepy to keep asking — to keep bringing the topic back to money.
That’s fine for some people to think. But that’s not okay for the people who I want to win to think. Those people who think that way are likely walking through life negotiating against themselves.
I wish that more good people would stop negotiating against themselves with statements like “They will never say ‘yes,’ so why bother?” or “It’s pointless to bring it up because I already know the answer.”
Not only does it enfeeble you to negotiate against yourself, it denies others the chance to hear what you want from them and to respond accordingly.
Not only is it bad to negotiate against yourself, but it is also bad to lie to yourself and to others by acting like you are a mind reader. You aren’t a mind reader. Some of the most grumpy and stingy people I know have many times stepped up and helped simply because I have asked.
So let me please do you a favor.
What I am about to share with you is good in political campaigns, but it is also good in all areas of life.
The people who find all the asking to be creepy need to be introduced to another group of people: the people who are complimented by asking.
I literally mean that. Your ask is a compliment to many, many people you ask.
It is such a compliment that it may get spoken of over the dinner table that night, bragged about. To be asked for a big donation is a sign that someone thinks you have big success in life. That is a most sincere compliment and accordingly a compliment to share at the table.
Some people expect to be asked for money because to do otherwise would be insulting. They don’t just expect to be asked for money but they expect to be asked a lot of times for money and to be asked for a lot of money a lot of times.
I am such a person.
If I know a candidate for very long and he does not ask me for money (ideally over and over again), there are two likely scenarios: 1.) he thinks I’m broke or 2.) he is running his campaign terribly.
Usually it is the latter.
But it could also be the former.
“What is wrong with me that he does not ask for money?” is how some people process the lack of request. “What kind of signals am I giving off?” “Is my money no good with him?” “Does he not want my support?”
Those are the things you communicate to others when you refuse to 1.) let them know what you are doing and when you refuse to 2.) invite then to be involved in your efforts. The act of asking for help checks off both boxes 1 and 2. It allows a person to feel considered and included.
When you don’t do that, you exclude people who it would be to your tremendous benefit AND their tremendous benefit to include.
And if you are anything like me, you know how good it feels to dig deep and to give to a worthy cause — I mean, digging deep enough that you have to cut back a little in other areas of life. It really can feel good to give to the right cause. That cause that others may feel good about digging deep for may be your campaign or some other endeavor of yours, and you deny them that opportunity by not asking.
And if it is not the right time to honor that request of yours, they can just say so, but more often they will not simply say “No!” more often they will feel so honored to have been asked for help that they want to figure out a way to help, because they want to see you succeed.
This man from Georgia has had an impressive and enduring political career, both at the local level and at the federal level, fighting for his values and for his community. He’s not a sell out either. He’s one of the good guys.
That takes money to do.
Realizing that, how could I possibly be offended or bothered by his constant asking for money?
Quite the opposite. I am honored by his ask and I am impressed with him for asking. Because you know what? The guy understands what it takes to win and doggedly focuses on doing exactly that.
That is a person being diligent with his opportunities. If you recognize that it takes resources to run a winning campaign and it takes resources to win for your values, then it is plain silly for someone to think it bad when a candidate raises the issue of money constantly.
He’s showing you how deeply his values matter to him.
In fact, why would you want to waste your time with a candidate who doesn’t respect his own values enough to run a winning campaign. And by “run a winning campaign,” I mean — someone who is always thinking about building his campaign’s volunteer base, someone who is always thinking about building his campaign’s financial base, and someone who is always thinking about adding to his list of supporters who vow to turn out for him on Election Day.
A candidate who doesn’t do that doesn’t deserve one penny of your hard-earned money, because he will squander it.
He doesn’t deserve your volunteer time.
He might not even deserve your vote.
My money is on the guy from Georgia who doesn’t understand what the term “too much” means when it comes to his values. No Sir. There is never enough when you are fighting for something you truly believe in.
The guy from Georgia asked me for money 3 times in one night, AND, again, that was after I had already given him money.
That’s the kind of attitude I love to see in a candidate. That’s the kind of candidate that always eventually wins — the indomitable candidate who understands that there is no substitute for victory.
It is 15 days to the midterm election.
I want to help you win and I want to help you build something that will last beyond this election.
To make that happen join “There Is No Substitute For Victory,” by tapping here.
Be quick though, because the cost to join goes up tomorrow night.
Allan Stevo