Last week, LIVESTRONG asked my brother and me if we would share fundraising advice with the organization's supporters to celebrate our 11th year supporting the Foundation. What started with my brother's participation in a charity bike ride has generated $260,000 in support of families facing a cancer diagnosis. Michael and I have very different writing styles, but we absolutely agree that our most successful fundraising strategy is to ASK. Read our blog post here. My friend Paul and I caught up between meetings today and we started laughing about this obvious tactic. However, too many professionals, whether for-profit or non-profit, are too hesitant to ASK for the order, for the business, or for the donation. The worst result is just a NO, which means it's time to move forward anyway. All good salespeople have watched Alec Baldwin's monologue in Glen Garry Glen Ross, but, if you need a little courage today, I recommend that you close your office door or put in your headphones for 8 minutes of solid professional development. Always Be Closing = JUST ASK