Know when to say ‘no’
Jerry L. Kennedy | TLT Selling Points June 2011
Resist playing the ‘maybe’ game.
Be honest with the prospect and tell him what you’re thinking.
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This is the last of our series of articles about getting to “no” faster and more often. It’s the most difficult step of all because this is where you learn to say no to the prospect. Yes, you read that right. When all other measures to get a no have failed, you have to take it upon yourself to say it. However, why would you ever need to tell a prospect no?
Sometimes you have to say no because the prospect refuses to do it for you. You asked all the right questions. It’s obvious to you that your offering doesn’t align with the values and goals your prospect identified as important to them. And yet here the prospect is, asking you for a formal proposal so they can look it over and get back to you.
You know in your heart that it’s just a stall tactic to try to dodge a sale that you aren’t even trying to make. You still feel that tug of excitement because it sounds like a
maybe, and maybe, despite my best warnings, is still pretty tempting. After all, sometimes maybe becomes yes.
Remember, though, that maybe is the siren song of the salesperson. It’s calling you to shipwreck on its rocky shores. Don’t take the bait. Resist the temptation to play the
maybe game. As difficult as it may be, it’s time for you to walk away.
How do you extract yourself from the situation, though, without causing offense? Once again, our good friend “honesty” comes to the rescue. Simply tell the prospect what you’re thinking. Make it clear that you believe your offering isn’t a good match for them, and be prepared to offer a detailed explanation for your assessment of the situation. It’s likely that won’t be necessary, but some prospects like to play the game all the way out to the end.
Still sound like a crazy idea, saying no to a prospect? Giving in to the urge to prepare that proposal on the promise of a maybe is going to cost you precious time, which can be better spent pursuing other opportunities. As a salesperson, you only have so many hours—make the best use of them. Sinking a bunch of time into chasing maybes is a straight line to missing your quota, at the very least. You’d be much better served telling the prospect, “No, thank you,” to his proposal request.
Look, I’m not saying that every maybe is a dead end. It’s true that sometimes a maybe does turn into a yes. What I’m saying is that there are many other opportunities out there for you to worry about than whether this particular maybe will end up in a yes. You have an obligation to yourself, your employer and your other prospects to spend your time working the leads that will eventually become clients, and sometimes that means you have to be the one to say no.
Like it or not, that’s your job. As I’ve said it before, you are not a delicate flower. You’re a salesperson! Your ability to get to no faster and more often, even if that means saying it yourself, is why you get paid the big bucks.
Now that we’ve had a look at the importance of getting to no faster and more often during your prospecting and qualifying efforts, it’s time to shift gears and spend some time focusing on those prospects who make it past the no test.
In future columns, we’ll discuss how to get your prospects to say yes.
Jerry Kennedy is owner of Inside Out Business Solutions, a sales and customer service training organization. To learn more sales strategies, visit Jerry’s blog at http://jerrykennedy.com or you can reach him at jerry@jerrykennedy.com.