Whenever a friend agrees to a favor, allow your generous buddy time to
relish the joy of his or her beneficence before you make them pay the piper.
How long? At least twenty-four hours.
job, how sensitive is he going to be when negotiating the sale of a
house? One agents overanxious call to an owner can mean thosands lost in
commissions for the firm.
Big winners have supernatural vision into your future. They see every
communications blunder you make as a visible blotch on your x-ray. It dims
your prognosis for being successful in life.
Lets look at yet another tenuous thread between favor asker and favor
grantor that must not be severed lest the relationship unravel.
How to Ask for Favors (and Get Them!)
I once asked a well-connected friend who works in a top Los Angeles
talent agency if she knew any celebrities I could contact for a project I was
working on. Tania flipped though her Rolodex and came up with just the
names I needed. It was obvious to both of us, I owed her big time.
When I thanked her profusely on the phone, Tania said, Oh Im sure
youll find a way to pay me back.
Well, of course I will, I said. That goes without saying. And well it
should have gone without saying. She was reminding me the favor wasnt
out of friendship, but because she expected something in return.
Two days later, Tania called and said she was coming to New York in a
few months. She was just checking now if I could put her up then. Naturally
I could, but blatantly cashing in on the return favor so quickly was not a
smooth move. When someone does something nice for you, you find
yourself with an elephants memory. In fact, you consciously look for ways
to return the favor. Had Tania called, even years later, of course I would
have remebered I owed her one. Frankly, I was glad it came up so quickly
so I could even the score. Nevertheless, I do wish the whole barter aspect
had been left unspoken. It tarnished what should have been
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a generous sharing on both sides. Tarnish always wears off on the
tarnisher.
When you do someone a favor and they obviously owe you one, wait a
few weeks. Dont make it look like tit for tat. Allow the favor asker the
pleasurable myth that you joyfully did the favor with no thought of what
ooja
(Ooja)
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