NO!!!!

Is this the most powerful word in the Sporting language???

Think about it….  How do you react to a negative compared to how you react to a positive….???

Putting aside the fact that what everyone should be striving for is to “not react” ideally – but to pro-act – to be ready / to have planned out all outcomes, to know what you are doing at all times etc etc (if only eh!) – hearing the word “NO” really does drive you more than yes I feel….

No one likes to be told they are wrong, no one likes to hear rejection – and NO – let’s face it – is a negative word.

In cricket – you SCREAM “NO”, but gently amble a Yes…..  IN football – when you see a poor ball about to be played – you repeat the word “no, no, no, no, no and on” – it is important to state your negative case….  Whilst in the office, a YES is great – time to celebrate, maybe even relax – but a NO means “Hell NO!” – redouble your efforts and turn that frown upside down…

So – we all agree then – NO is a big word.

Well – off pitch it is often a word that you will hear.  But it is a word that you have to work hard to firstly not hear so much, and then secondly learn how to deal with the N, then the O.  When you are selling a product – the natural reaction of your target is going to be no…..  If they had been interested in your product, they would have called you…..

So how to deal with it…

Firstly- prepare aswell as you can.  Understand your target, understand their needs – work out what they want to say YES to…, don’t let them think about No…..

Secondly – react well…  you knew it was coming, you WERE prepared, you had Plan B all along.. make sure your target knows that NO is not a realistic option – and he/she was kidding / merely delaying the inevitable YES when they uttered NO….

Tweak what you are selling, tweak what you are saying – find the right balance for the target – don’t let them away……

It is often a good idea to avoid asking a question to which NO could be the answer.  If you are just getting to meet someone – don’t ask “DO you want this?” – ask “What do you want?” – let them give the options and YOU make the choice…

Lots to do eh!! – see I told you NO was powerful.  You don’t want to hear it.  You don’t want to face the negative or deal with rejection – so work long and hard to avoid it.

So – Am I right???? (and we KNOW what not to say there don’t we…..)

Have a grand weekend (if you are Omani based) – if not – enjoy two more days at work!!