Although as business owners we typically do not like to hear the words no, no thank you, not interested etc., sometimes those are the kindest words someone can say to us. We have all had this happen to us where we are trying to connect with someone, they say they are interested and then…nothing. You try to follow up and again they say yes, just been busy, will get back with you, give me a call next week, blah blah blah, and again…nothing. This is extremely frustrating and time consuming. When this happens it feels like you and your business are not being valued or respected. This is when you are happy to hear NO as the answer, so you can move on to more productive business growth activities.
If you have ever done this to another business, please know they did not value chasing you for your business. You also may have hurt your brand. Thinking you are sparing someone’s feelings by not saying no is having an opposite effect. Your reputation is now tarnished in their eyes and at some point down the road, if you do feel you would like to work with them or need their services, they will be hesitant to trust you.
Be honest. Just say no if you are not interested.
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Kevin Willett is the Author of One Connection How you can grow your business (and change the world) one connection at a time. The business networking book is available on Amazon. Purchase One Connection on Amazon
Kevin is also the CEO of the Friends of Kevin Networking Group and the New England B2B Networking Group. Please connect with him on social media to hear about his upcoming business networking events
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