The Quota: May

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Just Say It!

By W. Grant Eppler

It is one of the most powerful words in the English language, and yet rarely heard. Complex yet simple to the point of sheer elegance, the use of this two-letter word confounds most people to this day. 
    “No.”
Its meaning is stiflingly concise. Synonyms, such as rejection, refusal, rebuff, nix, thumbs down and veto are feeble to the mighty “no”. Yet, “no” is one of the hardest words to use. 
    My good friend’s wife won’t use the word even when confronted with cold-calling salespeople. One time while my friend was out of town on business, his wife called him to discuss buying meat from a door-to-door vendor. Not long into the conversation he realized his wife’s dilemma was not chops vs. filets. What she really wanted was for him to speak to the salesperson — via cell — and deliver the bad news: “no sale.”
    Even when disciplining a child, most people willfully avoid saying “no.” While we salespeople have been trained to overcome other’s objections, are we limited by the same disposition toward “no” as my friend’s wife? Can we effectively say “no?”
    Scott Wade, area manager, Heinz USA teaches his salespeople to say “no.” “When the answer is “no,” he says, “you can’t respond with: ‘I’ll see what I can do,’ or ‘I’ll get back to you on that,’ as they mean completely different things. “No” means “no,” whereas ‘Let me see what I can do,’ and ‘I’ll get back to you on that,’ is an implied “yes,” an expectation that something will be done.”
Continued...

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