How to turn No into Yes in Selling

People start out by saying no to things for many, many reasons. It's sort of an automatic, knee-jerk, defense mechanism. They may not fully understand the matter you are dealing with and be too embarrassed to admit it. They may not know how to intelligently make decision. They may lack self-confidence and self-esteem. They may be afraid. They may have financial problems that (in their minds) preclude them from going along with you. There are probably hundreds of possible reasons for "the erroneous no." Don't let it stop you.

Eight Steps for Getting Past No

1. Determine that you are going to exert control over the situation and the other people involved.
2. Determine that you can and will get positive results even in negative situations.
3. Get your ego out of the way.
4. Do not confuse refusal with rejection.
5. Be more interested in achieving positive results than in anything else.
6. Understand that most no's are erroneous.
7. Ignore the "erroneous no." Keep making your case. Keep probing for the real reason for reluctant or refusal.
8. Respond only to real reasons. Don't get caught  up in responding to "erroneous no's"-that's like wrestling with a phantom.

  Understanding, remembering, and using these eight steps will help you convert many refusals to ultimate acceptance. However, having said all this, a much, much smarter approach is to place yourself in Low-Resistance Selling Situations, where these techniques aren't required at all. A great deal of traditional sales training focuses on "closing," but I maintain if you need to close, you open poorly. The close should be effortless, painless, automatic.