No one likes being told no to something they want, especially if they think their request is completely reasonable. Being told no can turn a positive interaction negative, especially if it’s not handled well. Oftentimes, how you’re given an answer is just as important as the answer itself.
Shep Hyken wrote an article titled, “How to Say Yes – Every Time,” in which he details an example scenario that summarizes this idea well: say an employee works at a hotel with “no airport shuttle, but a guest who just landed at the airport calls and asks, ‘Do you have a shuttle to get me from the airport to the hotel?’” The answer is technically no, the hotel does not offer shuttle service, but merely saying that does little for the customer other than potentially disappoint him. Instead, Hyken explains, the “better answer is to say, ‘There are three options to get you to the hotel. You can take a cab, take an Uber of Lyft, or we’re happy to call a private service and arrange for your transportation.’”
It’s like saying, while we don’t offer a shuttle, we can help you figure out how to get here anyway. Instead of just shutting down a customer’s inquiry or request with a hard no, you can offer them other ideas so as to show interest in still helping them. If you can find a way to accommodate a customer’s request, that will go a long way towards their overall satisfaction.
—Within reason, of course! “Unless the customer’s request is immoral, illegal, or could cause the company to lose money (although sometimes that’s okay in the right situation), or something that is so far away from what the company does or sells, not saying, ‘No,’ is not all that difficult.”
Hyken presents another scenario from his own life: “I once bought a pair of workout shoes from a shoe store. I loved these shoes so much I wanted to buy another pair. I went back to the same store, only to be disappointed that the brand discontinued the model. Without hesitation, the salesperson had an alternative that he said I would enjoy even more. I tried them on, they fit, and he was right.”
Even when the answer to a request if effectively no, as in these aforementioned examples (no, there is no airport shuttle; no, we don’t have that shoe anymore), the idea is to present a reasonable, thoughtful alternative that demonstrates that you care about the customer’s needs and satisfaction. It’s refocusing the question from what you can’t do to what you can. Will that make everyone happy? Of course not. There are some people who cannot be sated. But this works well more often than not. It’s about learning how to not say no, or more accurately, how to say no without actually saying it.
Perfecting the language salespeople and customer service representatives use is a matter of training and experience. Rather than waiting for employees to learn from their mistakes with actual customers, your safer bet is to install a mystery shopping program at your business. Reach out to The Brandt Group, and we’ll help you design a comprehensive audit that measures everything from how your employees handle challenging requests to how well they offer upsells and add-ons. The skills they learn and put into practice will help ensure long-term profitability and a healthy reputation for years to come. What are you waiting for? It’s time to say yes.
