I like happy stories—the ones where the hero or heroine wins the day. The kind of stories that make you feel good or make you think, I can do that too! Giving clients a ‘yes’ answer gives me the same ‘feel-good’ feeling as those stories.
We are in the YES business. This is contrary to the majority of what other folks experience in many business establishments these days. “Do you have this shirt in blue?…. NO… Can you make this without raw onions?… NO… Can I receive this in time for my wife’s birthday next week?…NO!”
How about at work… you work long and hard on a proposal or product idea, only to get a ‘no’ after presenting it. Even the voice in your head changes sides when you want another helping of ice cream… (the voice in my head says ‘yes,’ but that’s a whole other story….)
Personally, I really don’t like to hear the NO word. It implies that you have given up. You won’t or don’t have time even to find a solution for me. My needs are not important to you.
As we grew up, we heard the word NO a lot… from our parents, mostly because they were protecting us from something. And sometimes that no was final! Then when we gathered enough courage to ask why, we are again shut down with, “Because I said so!”
Speaking of parenting, I took a different app- roach with my kids. My deal with them was if they could create a compelling argument/ discussion, they would win. Even if what they won was not in their best interest, I wanted to create opportunity and potential, not control. I think my approach played out positively… both kids graduated college. In fact, one is now MY boss, and the other is a budding entrepreneur.
So, how do you get to a yes? The smarty-pants answer is to add a “K” and a “W” to the word NO and transform it to KnoW. Need more? Well, consider this. Most of the time, the word “NO” is a blocker or a time saver. Folks need to KNOW why yes a more appropriate answer. Sometimes just a few minutes and a little give-and-take conversation is all that is needed for a favorable outcome for both sides.
I’m proud that my theory of listening and treating folks with respect was the correct approach to raising my kids.
“Can I have dental and vision covered with my insurance… WE SAY YES YOU CAN, and these are the ways to take care of your concern…”.
We respect your questions, and it’s our pleasure to help because you wouldn’t ask if a solution wasn’t important. So my approach even works for clients and colleagues. Yes…Imagine that!