I get a ton of traffic to my blog from people who want to know how to ask someone to be their mentor. This post is part of a series on asking someone to be your mentor. Be sure to look for the links to the related posts at the bottom of this article!
How would you like to have a great mentor? A mentor can help you succeed in business. A mentor can support you in almost every aspect of your life. It may be in relationships, family life, spirituality, sports, health, etc. Your mentor can guide you, be a sounding board and help you achieve your goals.
Sometimes the most challenging part is asking someone to mentor you.
Here are the 5 top strategies for asking someone to be your mentor:
#1 Bring something to the table.
Analyze what you have to offer in exchange for a mentor’s time. Do you have a database or a highly trafficked website where you can highlight the mentor’s business? Are you able to joint venture on a project by offering a resource the prospective mentor doesn’t have? For example, you have a distribution center that does not offer a product similar to the mentor’s service or product and you make your distribution center available for their product.
#2 Be complimentary.
Before approaching a prospective mentor, become familiar with their business, service or product. If they have a website, visit the site. If they speak in front of groups, attend a speaking engagement. Tell the prospective mentor what you admire about them and where you see they might be able to compliment you and your business.
#3 Ask how they got started.
This is a good reminder of the fact that they probably had mentors that helped them along the way and they may have a desire to repay the generosity of others. Ask for ideas, based on their experience, of ways you might find a mentor and how their mentor helped them. This is a way of establishing a good framework for that person’s assistance.
#4 Offer to pay.
When you are asking someone for their valuable time you should be willing to honor the value they bring to the table with some financial compensation. In all likelihood someone who is willing to mentor you will not ask to be paid for their support, but the offer to pay should be made to show that you truly value the other person’s contribution.
#5 Appeal to common interests.
Chances are you are approaching an individual because you already believe common interests exist. This could be that you both share the same level of passion for business, have the same values, belong to related industries or groups, have the same level of commitment to goals and visions, to name a few.
Lastly — don’t assume.
Don’t assume the other person has time. Don’t assume they would be a good fit for you. Don’t assume they would be willing to mentor you. Don’t assume they have a genuine interest in your growth. The best mentors share the same level of interest and commitment as you.
Don’t see what you’re looking for? Grab my FREE eCourse on Smart Tips for Getting a Mentor! This 7 part series will help you find and ask someone to be your mentor. You’ll also get 23 extraordinary questions to ask your mentor! What are you waiting for?
Buy the book!
7 Surefire Ways To Ask Someone To Be Your Mentor
Scripts, Tips and Tactics For Getting A Mentor
by Theresa Bradley-Banta
A BigFishTopDogs.com Publication
Other great resources for asking someone to be your mentor:
You… Just Like Clark Kent. Glasses… No Glasses.
How To Ask Someone to Be Your Mentor By Email – Part II of The Joel Comm Project
Are You Ready for a Mentor? Will a Mentor Be a Good Fit?
Approaching Someone to be Your Mentor
How to Ask Someone to Be Your Mentor
Top 5 Ways to Find a Mentor
5 Top Strategies for Asking Someone to Be Your Mentor
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Do you plan to keep this site updated? I sure hope so… its great!
We do. Thanks for the feedback!
Hey there everyone i was just introduceing myself here im a first time visitor who hopes to become a daily reader!
Love this article, Theresa!
I read your blog frequently and I just thought I’d say keep up the amazing work!
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Nice amount of comments in so little time, I have to join and agree, its a great blog. the site is outstanding
It’s a good blog,I like it and I’ll read it everyday!
Thanks… Bill? Appreciate your comment! Stop by any time you want
Hey, I have a semi-mentor figure who I’ve known for almost 7 years since I was 14… the problem is I don’t know how to make the mentorship official – he has bailed me out of technical issues on several occasions, and often acts like a mentor, but I still feel weird asking him to teach me things, and I don’t think there’s anything in it for him so I’d like to balance it out a bit more, make the whole thing more solid if possible. Also his best friend is someone I wildly admire and would love to have as a mentor but have no idea how to do that!
I should mention that these guys are both in a highly successful band, the first one is sort of a lifetime mentor and advised me about going to university and such, but nowadays is more a mentor specific to the field I ended up studying (Music Technology); the other one is really good at music business/band management and started up one of the most successful independent record labels in the world – he’s a genius and I really wanna pick his brain…
Hi S.F. – Sounds to me like you are doing a great job of cultivating your relationships with both of these guys. Congratulations! The fact that you’ve identified some mentors puts you way ahead of where most people are. Have you told your semi-mentor that you see him as a mentor? And how much he’s already helped you? Do you have specific challenges or goals where you need the most support? And if so, have you put those those challenges into words? Talked with him about them?
Sometimes asking someone outright to mentor you can be a daunting proposal to the person you are approaching, but if you are really clear about where their expertise can guide you best, then they have a really great idea of how they can support you. Without freaking them out about what you are asking of them. And there’s nothing wrong with telling them you would like to contribute to the relationship. It’s awesome that you want to give back and balance it out a bit.
Way to go. You are already doing a great job of furthering these relationships whether you realize or not! Your heart is in the right place. I think if you tell both of these guys what you wrote in this comment you will succeed in furthering a mentoring relationship with both of them.
Thank you so much for your comment. I would love to hear how the next steps progress!
~Theresa