Does NO really mean NO? The simple art of getting to YES!

How do you feel when a potential customer, client, or recruit says “NO” to you? Is it what you expect? Often times it is exactly what we expect to hear. Why is this? Maybe it is because many recruiters, hiring managers, and sales people have been conditioned to believe that they have to get a lot of No’s before they get to a Yes? The process of trying to break down the prospect to get to a yes is not a good sales or hiring technique. You become annoying and the prospect will typically begin avoiding you.

So how do you get to YES? Early on in my sales career, the turning point for me was when I realized that NO was spelled K-N-O-W. It was one of my many light bulb moments. Realizing that I had to get the prospect to understand the value of the offering was crucial. I also had to help them realize that what I was offering, combined with what they needed or wanted, was a good match. When I refocused from getting a quick sale or quick hire and focused my efforts on developing trust with the prospect and matching the needs or wants, the Yes’s became easier.

Getting to YES is much easy if you understand and practice these five basic principles:

Getting to YES takes patience.
Getting to YES means you need to understand the prospects needs or wants.
Getting to YES means you have to match your offering with their needs or wants.
Getting to YES means you have to help them realize the value of the offering, combined with their needs or wants – are a good match.
Getting to YES means spelling NO as K-N-0-W.