Posts Tagged ‘No’
No for Now
The note says: “Text. Consultant engineer and home inspector. Can see the potential. Did he ring me on Thursday?”
It is dated 13/05/2009 – more than two years ago.
What this means is that somewhere I saw this engineer’s mobile phone number advertised. I sent a text – probably something about “Would you be interested in a second income?”
He must have texted back and said “yes” and clearly, back in 2009, we talked.
And here’s a key phrase: “Did he ring me on Thursday?” Maybe not but, since the reminder popped up on my computer the last week, it is likely we did talk but on reflection, he said “No”. Instead, we must have agreed that I would call him “in a couple of years”.
A couple of years is so far ahead as to be not worth considering. People always agree to a call “in a couple of years”.
But the microchips never forget – and I did call him. And so, welcome to a new distributor in the team.
On the training we talk a lot about this: The “No for now” list. This is a list of all those people who say “No” the first time you ask them.
When I started, I dismissed the ones who said “No”. In fact I went so far as to throw away their details!
What an error of judgement that was…
I distinctly remember on my training being told about the huge numbers of people who have to be asked again and again before they join. But I didn’t believe it. I joined the first time – why wouldn’t everyone.
So now I’m older and wiser and I work the “No for Now” list. In fact I consider the process of telling someone about this business in the first place purely as a means of getting them onto the “No for Now” list.
It’s amazingly powerful. Think about the logic that must be going through our friend the engineer’s mind: Two years ago, he was interested enough to reply to the text so he must have wanted a second income. But he didn’t join – either because he thought it wouldn’t work … or he thought his business would one day provide enough of an income so that he wouldn’t need any more.
And then, two years on, I call again. He can vaguely remember the first conversation – and yet he’s still in the same place with his business. Maybe, given the recession, he’s not even doing as well as he had been.
And yet here am, clearly still working my business – sounding even more enthusiastic. If I’m still doing it, obviously it must be working…
So this time – what with one thing and another – he joined.
We’re due to meet for the first time tomorrow.
I must remember to tell him to keep a “No for Now” list.
Go For No
I’ve been listening to “Mastering Go for NO” which is the CD set to accompany the book I mentioned some time ago – and isn’t it amazing how we hear of a good idea, adopt it, find it works – and then gradually stop doing it!
Well, the CDs have got me back on track and first thing this morning I was due to go and see the man from Community Speedwatch – I wrote about him the other week.
He had listened politely and then insisted he wanted to check out the company, read the small print…he wanted to say “No” but was far too polite to just come out with it.
So that was fine. We agreed that I would call again today for his answer and this time it was a final no. His reason: “I’m getting old and I don’t like change.”
When you think about it that is probably the only valid reason there is for saying no.
“That’s fine,” I said. “You see, I like hearing people say “No” because every day I try and get ten people to say it. That way I don’t mind at all.”
At that point he became terribly effusive – thanking me so much for showing him, thanking me for being so good about the fact that he didn’t want to join.
And with that, he pressed a bottle of Rioja on me.
“No, no, no,” I said.
“Yes, yes, yes,” he said.