Here are some real life illustrations for you:
Fake Leads
• A long time ago, I attended a business networking meeting where only one person from every industry is allowed, (big red flag) and everyone is under pressure to give our leads / referrals every week. They actually COUNT the leads, and nobody gets a commission! Anyway, I received a LOT of fake leads, because people were too gutless to admit they didn’t have any leads to give out, and they feared losing their place in this group of broke, desperate, self-employed salespeople.
No Intention of Ever Co-operating
• I asked someone to send out an e-mail to their database to promote one of my events a few years back. I “salted” their database (entered it anonymously, using a fake name and e-mail address) and the e-mails were never sent out. They didn‘t want to tell me that they never intended sending it out.
People Who Can’t Say “No”
• People promise to show up at places, do things, make calls, promote stuff, attend meetings – and they never do – they offer weak, transparent excuses, because they can’t say “No”.
Sounds familiar, does it?
In our gutless, politically correct world of passive aggressive, anal-retentive, wanna-be entrepreneurs, it’s hard to find people who don’t fear “rejection” by simply saying, “NO.”
(It’s even harder to find people who actually do what they say before their laziness and stupidity overcomes them, but I digress).
So What’s the One Fear?
The one fear that will sabotage your business life more than most others is the fear of saying, “NO.”
You don’t have to explain and say, “NO – I don’t want to deal with you. BECAUSE
- I don’t like you”
- I don’t trust you”
- Your offer is ludicrous and one-sided”
- You’re an idiot”
- You’re cheap”
- You dress like a second-hand car salesman cum trailer park manager”
- You stink of tobacco…”
Just say, “No, thanks, this is not for me – I don’t see a fit.”
Instead of wasting your time trying to make losers happy and justifying things, instead of trying to be popular with wankers.
Just, say, “NO.” You don’t have to explain.
The Frog Prince Analogy
You have to kiss a lot of frogs to find a prince. You can’t marry every frog because you’re afraid of “rejection”.
The more selective you are, the more distinct your criteria for accepting business offers is, the more sophisticated your approach, and the more successful you are, and the better known you are, the more offers you will have to reject, so get used to it.
So far, we have rejected 24 applications to our $20,000 DollarMakers Certified Business Mentor Training program, which meant we turned down and rejected $480,000 in sales. We are very proud of that. Few people would do that. But we see the big picture.
If the fit isn’t right, we say, “NO.” And everybody wins, because we’re honest.
Tell the Truth
Think of it this way:
“I am not in business to make other people happy, to build their egos, to be accepted and feel important, or to become popular. I am not here to please other people. I am in business to make the maximum amount of net profit with the least cost, risk, time, and effort, and I only work with people whom I like, trust, and respect. I don’t have to do anything, and I will tell the truth.”
Fearlessly, audaciously, courageously, tell the truth.
Your self-respect will increase as you discipline yourself to be honest, and, as a result, you will make more money, because we earn money in direct proportion to our self-esteem.
How can you even look at yourself in the mirror when you’re controlled by the whims and opinions of others, keeping up with the Joneses, and trying to impress losers?
Realize this: NOBODY CARES. Get real and get honest; say “NO.”
Consider What is Important
Here’s the good news:
It’s more important to be respected than to be liked.
People know that I don’t give a damn whether they like me or not, and I refuse to conform to this climate of slimy, politically correct, dishonest, back-stabbing hypocrisy.
I don’t care if the truth offends people or if they’re uncomfortable. And people know that they can trust me because of my approach.
The more selective and direct I become, the more money I make. It works. Try it. Thicken your skin.
Instead of “Got Milk?” how about, “Got GUTS?”
January 22nd, 2010 at 11:02 pm
This is soo the truth….and I am ashamed that I am that person more often then not. My fear of “NO” has paralyzed me and my entrepreneurial efforts to a point of ineptness!
I am going to try…scratch that…I will do my best to develop the attitude and perspective you describe at the bottom of this post.
Thanks for the post.
January 25th, 2010 at 10:03 am
Hey Robin,
Bought your book the other day, watched the video on jvwisdom.com too. Love your stuff.
The fear of “no” paralyzes many. I am a broker already & have moved into joint venture brokering now too. In the past I have been afraid to say “no” too many times.
I have since decided to say the truth. If the deal makes sense, I do it, if not, I don’t.
So many people WANT you to explain the “no” answer. I find they aren’t used to people telling them “no”.
Talk soon,
John Henning
.
January 25th, 2010 at 7:47 pm
This is an awesome post Robin! I love it, and the quote you provide near the bottom is going in my email signature – so that all of my clients understand where I’m coming from. Good stuff!
Shawn
May 19th, 2010 at 9:18 am
Hey Robin,
Bought your book the other day, watched the video on jvwisdom.com too. Love your stuff.
The fear of “no” paralyzes many. I am a broker already & have moved into joint venture brokering now too. In the past I have been afraid to say “no” too many times.
I have since decided to say the truth. If the deal makes sense, I do it, if not, I don’t.
So many people WANT you to explain the “no” answer. I find they aren’t used to people telling them “no”.
Talk soon,
John Henning
.