Getting To No — Telling clients and co-workers to sod off without offending them. Part 4 of 4.
The vocabulary of ‘Getting To No’.
In most cases the wisest path, when asked to do something you don’t wish to do, is to just say ‘no’. What many amateurs then do is try to either explain or justify their position with some follow up sentance. Explaining and justifying generally merely confuse others. They don’t realise that the answer was ‘no’, and so there’s some logical rational which will change it to ‘yes’. There isn’t.
Some people don’t want to hear the word ‘no’. With this in mind I’ve prepared a list of useful phrases for you to toss out instead.
“Well, I agree with you, up to a point.”
“There are good points and bad points.”
“It’s not the right time.”
“It’s not the right time.”
“Perhaps at some time in the future.”
“I’m leaning toward a positive solution, but from a negative perspective.”
“It’s a great idea! I’ll put it in the ‘Great Ideas” queue.”
“I’m not going to dismiss the idea entirely. Just temporarily.”
“We need further consultations.”
“There are broader implications that may preclude my involvement.”
“I’ll get to it, in the fullness of time.”
“I’m sure it will become a priority, at the appropriate juncture.”
“It’s a brave and radical idea. Unfortunately, neither ‘brave’ nor ‘radical’ are priorities at this time.”
It will not be beyond your imagination to realise that with the right set of responses cycled over a period almost any idea can be held up, bogged down and generally tied in knots for period s of years. And every year is made up of 8760 billable hours.
Armed with this simple document you are now prepared to elevate your career in advertising, or many other businesses. And after all, who wouldn’t take advice from a crossdressing ad executive?
Fiona Dobson
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