Merge

A no is one step closer to yes, or so the sales axiom goes.  But what if the no comes from you?  When do you draw the line and decide you can't work with someone?  It's one of the hardest things in sales.  You have worked feverishly just to get a meeting, and then a follow up meeting, and then the whole thing goes sideways.  At a point you have to cut your losses and make the call that it is just not a great fit.  So here are four ways to help you know when to fold 'em. 

1.  Have you gotten outside of your sales process?  Do you have a process?  Every company is different, but the fact remains that you and the client need to know where you stand.  Part of sales is to help the client make a decision, yes or no.  If you have a three step sales process, and you are walking into meeting number ten, maybe you should just keep walking.

2.  You can't get to the root of the problem.  A lot of companies are hesitant to admit they have problems, even though they called you to fix something.  Chances are it will become contentious down the road because you could never agree on what needed to be fixed. 

3.  The Russian Mafia.  If this comes up in conversation, that's a red flag.  This seriously happened to me a while back.  I politely declined the chance to continue the process.  On a serious note, if something doesn't feel right from the beginning, it will probably get worse once the works starts.

4.  Budget constraints.  This is definitely hard, especially when the relationship is good, but it is a stark reality these days.  Eventually you need to get to a win-win. You need to deliver a solution to make them happy, but you need to be profitable.  If one of these things won't happen, then you need to say no.  This should not end the conversation though.  Guide them down the right path to someone you trust who can get them to a win-win.  We refer out business almost weekly to other friends in the industry.    

Bottom Line:  Knowing when to say no will free up everyone's time and lead to a lot more yes's in the future.