It sounds too simple to count as advice, but very few of us do it, and the payoff is lopsided.
Researchers at Columbia found that people significantly underestimate how likely others are to say yes to a direct request. We assume it’s easy for them to say no. But in fact, saying no is more awkward, so people end up saying yes a lot.
So most of us never find out what’s *really* available to us, because we never test it.
What’s lopsided about it is that a “no” usually costs a few seconds of mild discomfort and leaves you where you started. A “yes” can mean a promotion, referral, introduction, a second date, or just something you didn’t know you could get. It also gets easier, because each ask shrinks the fear of the next one.
It also takes little skill and no money, only a moment of discomfort that most people will do almost anything to avoid.
