The Echo of Silence and “No”

Deafening Silence

The Dreaded “No”

As business owners we most likely have experienced both of these – and are likely to again. It is part of business. It is part of life.

Not good – not bad. Just is.

Rather than fret over it, take it personally, give up, or stomp off exasperated – take a moment to understand what the “no” means, and how to break the silence.

In today’s world the auto-response for most people is to say ‘no’ – or let me think about it, maybe later, or I’ll get back to you. There are a variety of creative ‘no’ (stalling) tactics.

If you take that at face value your sales graph will never have an upward incline.

They could be stalling to ‘save face’ – maybe they are confused or overwhelmed, or flat out don’t understand what you are talking about.

Maybe it is simply because procrastination and poor (or lack of) decision making has become a ‘norm’ in American society. They don’t even really know why they said “No”. It was just a knee-jerk reaction.

Or maybe they just need more information, and they feel like saying “No” will give them the time and space to gather that.

Of course, it is possible that they do want to buy, they do need it, they just don’t want it from you – it is not personal.

How do you keep the conversation going after the stall tactic or NO?

Ask Questions. With all these scenarios you need to be prepared with questions, not having them prepared (along with responses) is just plain lazy.

Not just any question and not “Why” – like a child questioning the wisdom or decision of their parent.

Rather ask questions that are not easily answered or that they will have to think about. Ones that may even get them to re-evaluate their auto-response.

Questions that trigger more questions

Questions that prompt further conversation and exploration

Then quit talking. Quit selling. Quit telling. Just listen.

Dig for what the true, core barriers are. More often than not it is a small thing, and without bringing it into the light, causes them great pause.

Change the WHY to WHAT – this will elicit a response, a conversation, and will allow them to express their thought process to you.

• May I ask which solution you are leaning towards?
• Since you decided not to go with us – what is your plan to fix the issue?
• We were looking forward to partnering with you on this first, then tackling (or avoiding) the _____ (insert a ripple effect).
• What about our solution is giving you pause? Is there something we are missing? A feature or a problem you feel like I didn’t hear or that we are not showing you how we can resolve?

Prepare the questions ahead of time. Don’t bank on being able to spontaneously come up with good questions after a “No”. Your emotions will cloud your judgement and you want the questions to be productive – not verge on annoying, or worse yet, whiney.

What if they haven’t said “No” – they just haven’t said anything at all?

You hear crickets.

No response to your emails or your calls.

It is possible they just are not interested – but, you can’t know till you ask.

So ASK! Give them an ‘out’ – tell them it is OK to tell you they are not interested in exploring the solutions/options. That you would still like to stay connected – and there is no need for them to avoid you.

Some of the biggest mistakes people make when faced with silence is…

• They assume the prospect knows all about what products/services they provide and how
• They assume they are annoying the prospect, so they treat the silence as a wall
• They believe the prospect will reach out when they are ready

NOPE. Poor assumptions.

Yes, they might reach out when they are ready, unfortunately for you it will be to the ‘other guy’ who broke the silence.

The responsibility for your sales, for your ‘staying in touch’, for your bottom line is on YOU.

Doesn’t mean you have to be annoying.

Doesn’t mean you have to be salesly.

Doesn’t mean you have to be a jerk.

It does mean you have to stay in front of them, top of mind, available, and providing value.

How you might ask – here are a few ideas:

• High Five on Social Media
• Send resources/book via snail mail
• Make an Introduction
• Invite to an event
• Have a VIP Day and invite them
• Ask for feedback on a new product or service
• Ask for feedback on a product/service in development

See When You Hear Crickets for 10 ways to break the silence and prompt a response and conversation.

All your outreach does not have to be about the impending sales transaction.

Figure out what will make them curious.

If all else fails, send the good ole ‘Dear John’ – the breakup email.

Either way – if it is silence or a “No” or other stalling tactic –

Leave them better than you found them – add value around the issue they are faced with. Showing you are interested in them and getting them to the solutions they need, above making the sale, will increase your chances of winning the transaction.

Don’t push your agenda and message. Remember that you do not always have to be ‘right’, and your solution is not the only one out there. They may have a different outlook on what they see as an optimal outcome. Listen to them.

Find a win-win situation. Once you really listen you should be able to better understand their feelings on the matter and what they believe would be a good outcome. Find a way to connect to those feelings and beliefs and craft your responses in such a way that it affirms them and guides them to a solution you feel they can agree with.

Above all – speak positive expectations. Keep your words in the mode of assuming you will be doing business together – most people will tend to live up to what you believe.

People don’t buy just because you have something to sell and you want them to purchase it. They buy because they believe in you, in the solution/product/service, and in themselves to make a good decision. “No” or silence does not need to be the end of the conversation – unless you want it to be.