Do you say no? No? Why not? Yes? How often? Most people just don’t say no. Why? Because they want others to like them! And they think that’s the way. But how about business and companies? How about your company? Do YOU say no? Do you say no to colleagues, to partners, to your boss or (even worse) to customers?
Admittedly, it's tough to say no to any customer, especially when your company is young. "What if there isn't a next sale?" But all sales are not equal. It's good business to turn away sales that aren't profitable, for example, or those that conflict with long-term goals. How about those that don’t really make money for you, or those that exhaust all your resources. Do you really have to take them? In some business, 20% of the customers provide 80% of the sales. Why not spend your time and resources chasing and satisfying those customers and not every customer? In INC.com you can find a sampling of “no-stories” by successful chief executives who said no and managed not to loose money, time, and reputation.
"The truth was, we were too small to fulfill that contract." "We probably know just enough about that kind of a sale to be dangerous." "The customer couldn't focus on anything but 'Do it, do it, do it.'" "I don't want to commit a project manager to something that might become a heartache."
But is it always a “yes or no”? How about alternatives? Ok, you don’t want to say no, then don’t say yes! Try to find an alternative solution. Something that will take the “burden” off of you but it will still satisfy your costumer. Be smart! Be creative! And most of all, stay on top of it!
