the secret to getting what you want

At NY Now this summer, my booth causes a bit of a stir amongst some of my friends and fellow exhibitors.

I exhibit in Accent on Design, a section of the show where your booth package includes hard walls. It’s incredibly convenient, because it means I don’t have to drag my hard walls all the way into New York City.

But this show, my booth had something that made many of my fellow exhibitors jealous – an extra wall.

When it comes to designing a trade show booth, it’s rare that I use the full depth of my booth. I often add in an extra wall, which not only helps bring my product closer to the aisle, it gives the added benefit of some secret storage space. (And I love my secret storage space!)

Throughout the show, friends would swing by my booth and whisper, “I want to talk to you.” When they made their way back around later, the question was always the same. “How’d you get that wall?”

And here’s the short answer: (and the big lesson for this post)

I asked.

I wish it were more complicated than that, but it’s not.

It turns out that as part of the hardwall booth package, you can request additional walls in advance.

So I did.

Last year, Tara got invited to speak at a conference for women entrepreneurs at Syracuse University. Syracuse is my Alma mater, and I really wanted to speak at that conference.

So I emailed the organizers, explained why I made a good fit (I was, after all, an alumni running her own business) and asked to speak.

And they said yes.

Not only that, but at the conference, the university’s chancellor mentioned me and my success in her opening remarks.

Whether it’s walls or speaking gigs, I’ve found that when it comes to getting what I want for my business, the process is pretty much the same.

I just ask.

The reality is that most people are scared to ask for what they want. Which means if you decide to ask for things, it puts you lightyears ahead of most people.

The reason most people don’t ask is simple, they fear the no. (Or the no response.) To many of the creatives I work with have this incredible fear of rejection. And it stops them from doing anything or getting anywhere.

So let me be honest with you.

You will get rejected.

It doesn’t mean that you aren’t a good person, or your work isn’t worthy enough.

It just means you and the opportunity weren’t a good fit.

Which means you can move on to the next opportunity.

But here’s the crazy thing that I’ve discovered.

When you just ask for what you want (and you give a compelling reason why) more often than not, the answer is yes.

Conference organizers are looking for incredible speakers. Bloggers are looking for interesting products. The staff of a trade show you’re exhibiting in is there to serve you.

All of these people need YOU to make what they do possible.

And they’re just waiting for you to ask.

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It took me a few shows before I realized I could ask for an extra wall at NY Now, and clearly, many of my fellow exhibitors weren’t aware of it either. I’ve amassed a lot of knowledge over the years exhibiting at various trade shows, and in Sell Your Products to Retailers, I share it all with you.