Just Say “NO” to NO!

“It’s so much easier to say “no!” even though there is a “yes” yearning to get out”

We do all kinds of things to sabotage our success.  Things like closing a sale, getting a job offer, convincing a patient to adopt a course of treatment – the list is endless. Everyday brings countless opportunities to sell something with the objective to earn a “yes”.  So why do we make it so easy to help people say “no”? Its because we do things in the course of the conversation ( and “every conversation is a selling moment”) that unintentionally sabotage the “yes” and get us to a “no”.  It happens all the time and we do it with the best of intentions to do the right things and help people.  And yet, we manage to screw it up. Why do we help our clients say “no” with such ease?  Read on my friends…

  1. Shut up already!  Ever hear the expression “less is more”?  It’s true and it’s a maxim we should all develop and fine tune.  There is a very fine line between offering the right amount of information that educates and coming down with a case of voracious verbal vomiting!  Talking TOO much and not giving people a chance to think and ask questions is not helpful.  Offering too much too early will lead to objections being raised which would have not been there had you shut your trap.  STOP talking and listen more.  Sheesh.
  2. Too many choices.  Make it easy to say “yes” by limiting the number of choices.  More than three choices means a harder and more difficult decision process and the likelihood that more people will have to weigh in.  Offer more if you see an objection that can be handled by more information.
  3. Patience pays off.  In any sales situation, the person who speaks the most loses.  Learn to pace yourself and the conversation by deftly handling objections and adding more content to the conversation at the right time.  Be patient.  It makes take more than one chat and people need time to think.   Rush me and it’s much easier to say no.
  4. Silence is NOT a No.  Many people are scared of silence and the low reactor.  A “NO” is a “NO.”  Anything else likely means that someone is thinking and finding a way to say “yes”.  Help them find the way to the “yes” by practicing the above skills.  It’s not a bad thing and the person who learns how to not get freaked out at a low reactor is going to have better results.
  5. Be Vulnerable.  Often we do not the result we want because we can’t bring ourselves to be vulnerable and be open to what is next.  Control the outcome by not being controlling.  People say no if they sense you are not on the same page as they are or you dont get them or can’t identify with you as a person.
  6. Assuming a “no” is a NO-NO!  Do you believe in what you’re proposing?  Do you have the person’s back?  Then why mess things up by assuming they will say “no”?  It’s because YOU have no confidence in yourself –  that’s why! You know your stuff and people say “yes” to passion and confidence every time.  That IS a truism.

Here’s the net: people will say “no” because it’s EASY to say “no”.  It’s a quick way to make something they do not understand or are frightened of just go away.  If  people are primed to say “no” don’t make it easy for them.  Make it easy for them say “yes” by being available, present and real.

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