The Grand Slam Ask
Land the role by pairing relentless persistence with a win-win offer
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 80%
The Grand Slam Ask combines two rare ingredients: relentless persistence and a win-win offer. Sanchez was rejected four or five times by State Street and twice by Credit Suisse, flying to multiple continents on her own dime and personalising outreach to a borderline-stalking degree, until they hired her. The persistence works only because the ask is a grand slam: she found a problem inside the company and offered to solve it, effectively saying 'you are paying someone for this, pay me half', making a no feel wrong. This counters the 'Tiara Complex', the belief, common among high performers, that doing good work quietly will earn a promotion. Nobody has time to crown you. You must put yourself out there with an offer so good that refusing feels irrational.
Origin
Extracted from Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal. Across State Street, Credit Suisse and First Trust, Sanchez repeatedly won roles she was 'much too young' for by out-persisting every other candidate and framing herself as a solution to a problem the firm already had.
Core principles
- 01Relentless persistence is rare enough to be a moat
- 02Frame every ask as a win for the other side
- 03Solve a problem the company already has
- 04Make saying no feel wrong
- 05Being told no repeatedly is part of the process
How to run it
- 1
Target the specific role
Decide exactly which company and position you want rather than spreading applications thin.
- 2
Find their real problem
Identify a genuine problem inside the company that you are positioned to solve.
Pro tip Making your future boss's job easier is a great way to earn and to do work you enjoy.
- 3
Build the win-win offer
Package your pitch so accepting is obviously in their interest, for example offering to solve a problem for half what they currently pay.
Pro tip Aim to make a no feel wrong, like turning down a grand-slam offer.
- 4
Pursue relentlessly
Keep going through repeated rejections. Personalise outreach heavily, even to a degree that feels slightly uncomfortable.
Pro tip Relentless persistence is so rare it is itself a competitive advantage.
Watch out Behaviour that would be inappropriate toward a person you're dating is fine toward a company you want to work for, but stay professional.
- 5
Convert the yes
After enough persistence and value, the no becomes a yes. Accept the opening even if it isn't the exact role, then grow from there.
Watch out Waiting to be handed the role, the Tiara Complex, guarantees you're overlooked.
In the wild
Sanchez wanted an institutional sales role at State Street. She flew to three continents on her own dime, got to know every hiring manager, and even sent a custom signed baseball to one who liked a particular player. After four or five rejections, the manager relented and hired her for something.
→ Won a role she was much too young for, later heading up a country segment.
Common mistakes
The Tiara Complex
Believing that quietly doing good work will earn you a promotion. In reality nobody has time to notice; you must ask.
Asking without offering value
A bare 'can I learn from you' is selfish. Without a win for the other side, persistence just annoys.
Is it for you?
Best for
Ambitious people pursuing a specific high-value job or client who won't come to them.
Not ideal for
Low-stakes situations where a simple application suffices, or where persistence would be genuinely unwelcome.
From the transcript
“relentless persistence is so rare that if you really want a particular job in a particular Company If You Can relentlessly pursue it in a…”
“I would find problems within the companies and say I think I can solve this for you you know what are you paying somebody right…”
“a no would feel wrong yeah like a grand slam offer right”
From the episode
Unlock Financial Freedom: Secrets From A $50 Million Portfolio - Codie Sanchez
Codie Sanchez