The Importance of "Owning No”

In enterprise sales, "No" is always your second-best answer; the "Slow No" is always your worst.

With only a few deals that close from every 100 or so prospects you interact with, the vast majority of your sales efforts should result in “No, thank you” — especially early in the sales process. But they do not. This is because saying “No” does not come easily for most people, and there are many reasons why:?

Several years ago, I was enjoying lunch with a retired senior executive from a large financial institution. We were discussing innovation and startups, when she remarked, “Boy, did we love working with startups! That’s where we got a lot of new ideas and training for free.” Do you think others in the business world may share a similar motivation to take up your valuable time, but never become your customer? Working with entrepreneurs all over the world, I can say with confidence that the “saying No” problem transcends gender, national, and ethnic borders.

One of the biggest challenges in sales is uncovering the “Slow No” graciously and efficiently, so you can invest your time more productively. Stalling signals however are often ambiguous and difficult to interpret with confidence. The result that many salespeople experience is a pipeline bloated with deals that sent clear buying signals at some point, but eventually go nowhere. The remedy in enterprise sales? "Own the word No” — especially early in your sales process, while qualifying prospects for fit and need.

Simply invite people to say “No.” For example, when speaking with someone for the first or second time: “Based on what we know about your company, we think we can help you (with X). If the problem we solve does not interest you, please say No. Not everyone will become our customer, and we are OK with that.”

Offering people permission to say “No” is, by most standards, a courteous gesture. And when people do not say No, you are receiving a presumptive “Yes, I am interested” to continue the sales conversation. The LinkedIn team understands this dynamic well. When someone pitches you on their product or service, LinkedIn displays a one-click "No, thank you" button, so you can easily opt-out of the conversation.

Solicit Concerns, not Affirmation

How many times during a sales conversation have you said: “Does this make sense?” or “Do you agree?” or "Is that helpful?" Affirmational questions like these — softball questions intended to solicit a "Yes" — are largely ineffective in sales, to the point of being rhetorical. People will often agree with you out of courtesy, not because they necessarily agree with you. Not everyone you meet with in sales will be overly candid or forthright with their concerns; so another important aspect of owning No is to search for reasons why someone will not become your customer.

The MIT definition of early-stage sales is "debugging people's objections to spending money." Instead of driving to "Yes," throw your sales engine in reverse, and probe below the surface for unstated concerns or objections. Ask questions that are intended to uncover reasons why people will not become your customer, so you can deal with potential obstacles head-on.?For example:

• “Tell me why our product may not make sense for you”
• "Is there something you are not seeing with our product that is essential to your needs?"
• "Are their people in your organization who may not see this as your best alternative?"

Sales is not about driving to a “Yes” — it is about uncovering “No” as early as possible in your sales process; and later in your process, opening the door for people to raise potential objections that, unaddressed, often lead to an expensive “Slow No.” Have the confidence to offer people an opportunity to opt-out or object. You will discover that people are much more willing to say “No” when you give them permission. And the insights you gain from surfacing potential objections often provide the evidence you need to move on with confidence — and in some cases, the intelligence you need to win a new customer!

In sales, if you do not take ownership of the word “No,” and learn to surface unstated objections, prepare to spend much of your valuable time in the “Slow No” abyss working deals that go nowhere.