10 Steps to getting from "No" to "Yes" at work

Sometimes, getting a “Yes” from your colleagues can make or break your department. Budget allocation, contract renewals, approvals for new ideas, team member retention, interdepartmental collaboration, the list of corporate asks is never-ending. Here is one possible framework that has helped me a lot in getting the most “No to Yes” conversions. 10 Steps to getting from "No" to "Yes" at work:

1. Calm Down
2. Reassess the situation
3. Define the ideal outcome
4. Brainstorm
5. Articulate
6. Pick your time, place and channel
7. Set the scene
8. Demonstrate value for the ask or your "Yes"
9. Be empathetic
10. Persist or Accept

1. Calm down - After being told “No”, calmly remove yourself from the situation. Getting a “No” for something that you believe is absolutely crucial for the firm is never a joy ride. Have a positive distraction. Sometimes only a pen and paper will have ears for you. Turns out this is a great outlet and an articulation tool. Not to mention therapeutic

2. Reassess/ revisit mentally -  Once your mind is calm, revisit the situation

3. Define the ideal outcome - Imagine the expected ideal outcome. Let us take a classic example that is almost a universal ask for corporations worldwide – The ask for increased budget allocation.

4. Brainstorm (Internally and externally) - Once you have the ideal outcome, work backward, and figure out how to get there. A brainstorming with self (Best done silently to avoid freaking out your colleagues. They don't have to know your inner works yet). Bouncing ideas with mentors or people in similar roles has helped immensely.

5. Articulate -  Now, based on the brainstorming, tabulate your key points backed up with evidence (research). This will give you better control over the meeting for the ask. "I will get to the meeting and the right thing will just come to me" is a wild bet. The person who has prepared the key points will always have the upper hand in an interaction. Make sure you are that person. If you have worked with your colleagues long enough, you can imagine the possible reactions beforehand and prepare responses for those scenarios. If this is a fresh interaction, try an unbiased perspective-taking exercise. "How would I want to be approached for a situation like this? What will get me to a “Yes”?

6. Pick your time, place, and channel of persuasion. In addition to being calm yourself, ensure the other party is in the right mind-set (Ideally not after a tough call the other person had or on their way to enter another meeting). Do you prefer the interaction to be in writing, calling or video chatting? This would be a choice based on the superior you are trying to influence. Some prefer it in writing and others would like a quick call. Choose the channel based on audience preference. Trust me, it makes a big difference.

7. Set the scene (context). You are ready to roll. Present the situation as a “problem-solution” scenario.

"I come to you with a problem and its solution. But, to get to the solution, I will have to walk you through the problem first. The current budget proposal would cut access to resource A. Resource A generated leads worth 5 Million Dollars last year. The solution is to get the budget approval for an additional 8% for resource A" (Make the ask as specific as you can, irrespective of the channel you chose to communicate).

8.   Demonstrate value for the ask. This is the most important ingredient. Show how the "yes" will enhance your colleague's or superior's profile directly or the team that the person manages. This depends on the kind of person you are dealing with. If the person is more individualistic, he/she would prefer an incentive to self. If the leader is team-oriented, he/she would prefer an incentive for the entire team and eventually the firm and see a mass impact. Demonstrate (with scenarios) how it will affect them/their teams/firm and how the right solution can be a valuable addition in the grand scheme of things. For e.g., "Because of the success of A last year, Harry's work was noticed, and he got a promotion / Harry's team met the sales target".

I know, I know, in an ideal world, the fact that there is a direct influence on the bottom line should be the biggest incentive. But, this is not the ideal world, is it? It is run by individuals like you and me with their complexities and oddities. We are not here to judge. We are here to get things done. So, let us move on to that.

9. Be Empathetic - Once the information is shared, be compassionate, and try to understand the situation from their point of view. Be patient and listen to their reasoning. We may even gain additional perspectives on the issue.

10. Persist or Accept - If after all this, the “no to yes” conversion didn’t happen, you are left with two choices (depending on how important the “yes” is for you/ your team):

Option 1 -  Cut your losses and innovate solutions with the least damage. Necessity is indeed the mother of invention and if you look hard enough, there is always an alternative (Fondly known as #jugaad in India). At least you tried your best and you have that going for you.

Option 2 - Rinse, lather, and repeat steps 1 -10 until a consensus is reached. Demonstrate the importance of the ask by persistence. But, be wary of this. There is a thin line between being persuaded and being annoyed. Persistence is similar to salt in food – too much is unbearable and too little won’t cut it. Figuring out the bliss point between the two is the art. Good luck!

#Corporatecommunications #words2deeds #persuasion #internalcommunications #organisationalcommunications #negotiation #getthingsdone #organisationalpsychology