There are just three things to do when a prospect says “No”. First you say “Ok” and then you say “Good-bye” and then you hang up. However, the way you do each of these makes a lot of difference. The meaning that the listener perceives is greatly influenced by your tone and timing.
The tone should be emotionally neutral, matter-of-fact, as if you were making a simple statement that has no “attitude”. It should not convey your frustration about hearing “no” from yet another prospect. It should not reveal your boredom with the process of making call after call. It is also very important that your tone does not communicate an enthusiasm or friendliness that the prospect is likely to presume is faked.
The timing should clearly separate the “Ok” from the “Good-bye”. Say these two words as two separate statements, with a pause in between. Do not act like you are in a rush. After you say “Good-bye” wait a while in silence before you hang up. It’s best to let the other party hang up first.
Keep the intended meaning of each of these three things clearly in your mind when you do them.
- Ok means that you acknowledge and accept what the prospect has just said. It means that you are not going to argue. It demonstrates that you did not have an emotional attachment to that particular outcome. It demonstrates that you listen.
- Good-bye means that you are done with this call. It means that you have nothing more to say. It demonstrates that you are moving on in a businesslike manner.
- Waiting for a while before you hang up means that you are not dismissing the prospect. You are not “slamming the door”. It also gives the prospect an opportunity to ask you not to hang up yet. This does happen, especially after you have called that prospect a few times.
To hear some samples of how to say “Ok … Good-bye”, you can play the following audio
