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The Power of No

The Power of No

Contributed by Idea Collective Member:

Mitch Nelles

Mitch Nelles

Content Creator; Fundraiser; Connector; Vodcaster; Podcaster; Writer; Public Speaker

I would love to argue that I love the word "NO"

But I don’t. Does anyone, really? No, I don’t love the word “no,” but I don’t hate it either. I don’t love it like I love “yes” but I like it A LOT MORE than “maybe.”

Let me explain.

In the world of sales, and sponsorships, and even fundraising, yesses reign supreme. We all love yesses. We all love when we put all the puzzles pieces together for our clients/partners/sponsors. We’ve listened to everything they had to say – their passions, their experiences, their concerns. We have answered all of their questions. We have deflected, or solved all of their objections. And when we present, they say, “YES!”

That is the best. No doubt about it. I could take a bath in yesses for the rest of my life and be the most content human on Earth.

But yesses don’t always happen. If they did, no one would be good at sales because we’d ALL be good at sales. 

With that said, we all get LOTS of maybes. And many sales people get ENCOURAGED by the maybes. “Hey, this prospect didn’t say no, they said maybe! That’s great!”

I wrote the previous sentence intended with as much (false) positivity as I could muster because…no, that’s not great.

Maybes are brutal. Maybes are an albatross. Maybes mean you haven’t asked the right questions, you haven’t listened well enough, your prospect hasn’t communicated effectively, and/or your prospect is just a weenie who can’t commit. 

None of these are great. But you know what is better than a “maybe?”

No.

No NO NO NO NO.
The Power of No

Because “no” can lead to “yes” in a myriad of ways. 

Sometimes a “no” is just the initial reaction, and the yes is coming. Sometimes, there are some issues with the proposal/campaign/idea, and with tweaking can lead to a yes. Finding out WHY the no happened can often get you to the yes. And yesses are the best!

But sometimes no is just that – no. And that’s OK too. Then, you don’t have to think about the client/prospect/partner anymore. You don’t have to waste time or thought on their maybe. You can MOVE ON!

Move on to the Yes

Very similar to asking someone out on a date. A maybe strings you along. A maybe gives you false hope. A maybe makes you think a yes is coming. 

A no? A no means no. But it lets you focus your attention/strengths/opportunities on someone else! To get CLOSER to that yes. 

You are right – it might not be the yes you originally wanted, but more often than not, that’s OK. Because the YES you end up getting is oftentimes more meaningful and more true. 

So get out there. GET THAT NO. Because once you do, those yesses are THAT MUCH SWEETER.

Thunder, out.

Mitch Nelles

Contributed by

Mitch Nelles

Content Creator; Fundraiser; Connector; Vodcaster; Podcaster; Writer; Public Speaker; Auctioneer; Sales

I hope to use my voice to bring people together, practicing kindness, listening and acting, to facilitate a better and more productive community. Sports is the distraction – a needed one. Real life is just that – real.

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