A “yes” is what all salesmen are hoping for by the end of a sales call, to close the deal. It can often be a hard-fought battle to win over a prospect to become a loyal client. In our course Sales in the Startup, we discussed a technique that seems counter to working towards a “yes” from a prospect or client. This technique is called “going for the no,” if we are trying so hard to get our prospects and clients to agree with us looking for a no instead of a yes hardly seems logical.
Going for the no, however, can be a beneficial tool in advancing the conversation and even possibly closing the deal. This technique is helpful when a prospect doesn’t seem to be giving a clear answer or seems to be going back and forth on their decision. By asking, “so is that a no?” the prospect is forced to make sense of their thought process to give a more definitive answer. These answers could range from being a yes, no, or not wanting to make a decision but now you have a much clearer idea of where the prospect is at in the decision-making process, from here, you can address the questions that are causing their uncertainty.
One of the benefits of this technique is that it is disarming, and open, and shows that you are willing to hear a no from the prospect. It is better to know that a prospect is not willing to do business with you than continually trying to figure out what their true feelings are.
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Hi Ethan – As salespeople, we are always hoping to get a yes from our prospects, but sometimes it can be challenging to get a clear answer. That’s where the going for the no technique definitely comes in handy. By asking the prospect if their answer is a no, it forces them to give a decisive and definitive answer and allows you to address any questions or concerns they may have. This approach can be helpful in advancing the conversation and potentially closing the deal. I completely agree with you that this technique can be disarming and shows that you are open to hearing a no from the prospect. It’s essential to know where the prospect stands in the decision-making process, and if they are not willing to do business with you, it’s better to know early on rather than continuing to try to convince them. Overall, “going for the no” is a valuable tool for salespeople to use in their conversations with prospects.
This is a good point and often is not the first thing salesmen think that they should do during a sales call. Sometimes just being straightforward and being kind of blunt with the prospect can offer up more success than fighting so much for a “yes” for every sales call. This allows for some honesty within the relationship as they tell you whether they were actually going to buy into the idea or not.
This is absolutely correct. I like how you used the word “disarming” when describing going for the no. This disarming effect occurs for both the seller and the buyer as both the seller no longer feels so pressured to make the sale and the buyer feels less pressure to turn the seller away. This allows for a more clear a relaxed conversation that can help both parties find a better solution- or not!