Why No Is Better Than Maybe in Sales (And How to Get a Clear Answer)
You just finished a great sales call. The prospect seemed interested, asked good questions, and said they'd think about it.
So why are you still wondering whether you have a sale?
Here's something I tell my sales coaching clients all the time: No is better than maybe in sales.
I know. That probably sounds backward.
You've worked hard to get that prospect on the phone. You had a good conversation. And now I'm telling you that hearing "no" might be better than hearing "maybe"?
Yep. And here's why.
Your Job Isn't to Get Your Prospect to Say Yes
Most people think the job of a salesperson is to get the customer to say yes.
I don't.
I believe my job is to help my customer make a clear decision.
Sometimes that decision is yes. Sometimes it's no.
Either way, we've accomplished something important.
Think about why someone schedules a sales call with you in the first place.
They have a problem they're trying to solve.
Maybe their business is growing faster than their team can keep up. Maybe they're frustrated with their marketing results. Maybe they're spending too much time doing something they would rather hand off to an expert.
Whatever the situation, something motivated them to have a conversation with you.
And they had plenty of other options.
They could have searched Google, asked ChatGPT, watched YouTube videos, or kept doing whatever they've been doing.
But they chose to spend time talking with you.
Why?
Because they need help figuring something out.
And the most valuable thing you can do during that conversation is help them answer one important question:
Will working with you help them solve their problem?
That's the decision we're trying to help them make.
Not whether we can talk them into buying.
Not whether we can impress them with how much we know.
And certainly not whether we can wear them down until they finally say yes.
We're helping them decide whether moving forward makes sense for their business.
That's what a great sales conversation does.
The Difference Between Helping Someone Decide and Convincing Them to Buy
There's a big difference between guiding someone toward a decision and trying to convince them to buy.
And it comes down to who you're serving.
When you're trying to convince someone, your attention is on getting the outcome you want.
You want the sale.
You want the contract.
You want to hit your revenue target.
And when your prospect hesitates, you respond by pushing harder.
You add another benefit. You explain your service again. You offer another reason they should move forward.
Before you know it, the conversation feels like a game of tug-of-war.
Your prospect pulls one direction. You pull the other.
And whoever pulls hardest wins.
Except here's the problem.
Even if you win that tug-of-war, your customer might feel like they lost.
They may have agreed to work with you, but they're not excited about it.
Maybe they feel pressured. Maybe they're second-guessing themselves. Maybe they're wondering whether they made the right choice.
That's not how I want to start a client relationship.
And I'm guessing it's not how you want to start one either.
What If You Stopped Pulling Against Your Prospect?
Imagine approaching that same conversation differently.
Instead of pulling against your prospect, you come alongside them.
You work together to understand what's happening in their business, what they want to change, and whether your service can help.
You're both working toward the same thing: a good decision.
That changes the conversation.
Now you're not trying to win something from them.
You're helping them figure out whether working together is the right move.
And if the answer is no?
That's okay.
Because you're not a good fit for everyone.
And you shouldn't want to be.
Why "Maybe" Is Costing You More Than You Think
Let's talk about what happens when a sales conversation ends without a clear decision.
You've probably heard some version of these responses:
- "Let me think about it."
- "Send me some information."
- "We need to talk about it internally."
- "This sounds great. We'll be in touch."
- "Maybe next month."
Now, those responses aren't automatically bad.
Sometimes prospects have legitimate reasons they need more time. They may need to talk with a business partner, review their budget, or wait for something to happen.
But there's an important difference between having a reason to wait and not knowing where the prospect stands.
An unclear maybe creates work for everyone without bringing anyone closer to a decision.
Here's what that can look like in your business.
1. You're Spending Time Following Up With People Who Aren't Buying
You send the proposal.
Then you send a follow-up email.
Then another.
Maybe you leave a voicemail.
And every time you reach out, you're wondering whether this opportunity is still alive.
Meanwhile, you have other prospects who need your attention.
The problem isn't follow-up itself. Follow-up is an important part of sales.
The problem is following up without knowing what you're trying to accomplish.
Are you waiting for a decision? Is there an unresolved concern? Does another person need to be involved?
Or did the prospect decide no three weeks ago and never tell you?
Those are very different situations.
And they require different next steps.
2. Your Sales Pipeline Looks Better Than It Is
This is one of the biggest problems I see with ambiguous sales conversations.
You finish a call and think, "That went pretty well."
The prospect sounded interested.
They didn't say no.
So you put them in your pipeline as a potential sale.
And then you do it again.
And again.
Before long, you've got a pipeline full of opportunities that feel promising.
But how many of those people are moving toward a purchase?
How many have a clear next step?
And how many are sitting there because nobody helped them make a decision?
You can end up believing you have more sales coming than you do.
That's a frustrating place to be, especially when you're making business decisions based on that expected revenue.
3. You're Carrying Around a Lot of Unnecessary Mental Clutter
This is the part people don't talk about enough.
Every unclear sales opportunity takes up a little space in your head.
Should I follow up again?
Was that a buying signal?
Did I say something wrong?
Are they ghosting me?
Should I give them another week?
And if you own a growing service business, you have plenty of other things competing for your attention.
You don't need another 12 open loops in your brain.
A clear no gives you something a maybe doesn't.
Clarity.
You know where things stand. You can decide what happens next. And you can focus on the opportunities that deserve your attention.
That's why I would much rather hear no than maybe.
Why Good Salespeople Avoid Asking for a Decision
Here's something that might surprise you.
Some of the business owners I coach have built successful companies. They're having sales conversations every week. They've closed plenty of deals.
And they still avoid helping prospects make a clear decision.
Why?
I've noticed three common reasons.
1. They're Afraid of Making the Prospect Uncomfortable
Most business owners I work with care about their customers.
They want to help people.
They don't want to come across as pushy or manipulative.
And that's a good thing!
But sometimes that empathy gets in the way.
You start thinking about how uncomfortable your prospect might feel if you ask them to make a decision.
What if they don't want to say no?
What if they feel pressured?
What if the conversation gets awkward?
So instead of helping them work through the decision, you leave things open-ended.
"Well, just let me know what you think."
And everyone gets off the call feeling pretty good.
Until nothing happens.
Here's what I want you to remember.
Helping someone make a decision isn't the same as pressuring them to buy.
You can care deeply about your prospect and still have a clear conversation about whether working together makes sense.
In fact, I would argue that's one of the best ways to serve them.
2. They Think They've Been Clear When They Haven't
This one happens more than people realize.
I'll listen to a sales call with one of my coaching clients, and they'll tell me afterward that they explained everything the prospect needed to know.
And they probably did explain their service.
But explaining your service isn't the same as helping someone make a buying decision.
As we review the conversation, I can often point to a moment where things started getting fuzzy.
Maybe they answered a question without addressing the concern behind it.
Maybe they explained the price but didn't connect it back to the problem.
Or maybe they ended the conversation without establishing what would happen next.
From the salesperson's perspective, everything seemed clear.
But the prospect left without knowing how to make a decision.
You can provide all the information in the world and still leave someone confused about what to do with it.
Your prospect needs more than information.
They need help figuring out what that information means for their business.
3. They're Afraid of Hearing No
Let's talk about the elephant in the room.
Rejection isn't fun.
You spend time preparing for a call. You get excited about the possibility of working together. You can already see how your service would help.
And then the prospect says no.
Ouch.
I understand why that can feel discouraging.
But here's what I want you to consider.
What if a no wasn't a failure?
What if it meant you successfully helped someone make a decision?
Because that's what you're trying to accomplish.
You want to know whether your service is the right fit for them.
And sometimes it isn't.
That doesn't mean you're bad at sales.
It means you've gotten an answer.
And now you can decide what to do with it.
How to Help Prospects Make a Clear Buying Decision
So how do you put this into practice?
If you're used to ending sales calls with "Let me know what you think," changing your approach might feel uncomfortable at first.
But you don't need to become a different person.
You just need to become a better guide.
Here are a few things I encourage my coaching clients to focus on.
1. Start by Understanding Why They're Talking to You
Before you spend 20 minutes explaining your services, figure out what brought the prospect to you.
Something is happening in their business.
What is it?
What have they already tried?
What would they like to see change?
Why are they considering getting help now?
These questions help you understand the problem they're trying to solve.
And more importantly, they help your prospect think through that problem for themselves.
Because here's the thing.
Sometimes people know something isn't working, but they haven't figured out what's causing it.
That's where you can provide tremendous value.
You help them connect the dots.
And once you both understand the problem, you can start exploring whether your service is the right solution.
2. Connect Your Service to Their Problem
One mistake I see in sales conversations is spending too much time explaining everything a service includes.
You talk about your process.
Your deliverables.
Your experience.
Your methodology.
And while those things matter, your prospect is trying to answer a different question.
"Is this going to help me?"
So instead of giving them a tour of everything you offer, focus on connecting your service to the problem they've shared.
Help them understand what working together would look like and how it could address their situation.
And be willing to acknowledge when something isn't a good fit.
You don't need every prospect to become a customer.
You need the right prospects to become customers.
3. Make Room for Questions and Concerns
A prospect can sound interested while having plenty of unanswered questions. That's why I teach my clients to recognize that sales objections are often buying signals, not signs that the conversation is going badly.
And sometimes those questions never get spoken out loud.
They might be wondering whether they can afford your service.
Whether it will work for their business.
Whether they have the time to implement it.
Or whether they should wait until next quarter.
If those concerns remain unaddressed, they can keep someone from making a decision.
That's why I encourage business owners to ask:
"What questions or concerns do you have before we move forward?"
It's a simple question, but it creates an opportunity for your prospect to share what's on their mind.
And when they answer, listen.
Don't jump straight into defending your offer.
Get curious.
Help them work through their concerns so they can decide whether moving forward makes sense.
4. Help Them Identify the Next Decision
Not every sales conversation needs to end with a signed agreement.
Sometimes another conversation is necessary.
Sometimes another decision-maker needs to be involved.
Sometimes the prospect needs additional information.
That's okay.
But you should both understand what's happening next.
For example, there's a big difference between these two endings.
Conversation A:
"Sounds good! I'll send you a proposal, and you can let me know what you think."
Conversation B:
"It sounds like we're a potential fit, but you need to review the investment with your business partner. What information would be helpful for that conversation? And when do you expect to talk with them?"
See the difference?
In the first example, you're hoping something happens.
In the second, you're helping the prospect identify what needs to happen before they can make a decision.
You're not manufacturing urgency or forcing a commitment.
You're providing direction.
And that's a much better way to serve someone.
A No Today Doesn't Always Mean No Forever
This is another important distinction.
When a prospect says no, you don't necessarily have to write them off forever.
Sometimes no means:
- The timing isn't right.
- They need to solve another problem first.
- They don't have the budget available.
- Their priorities have changed.
- Your service isn't the best fit for their current needs.
Those are all useful things to know.
Because now you can respond appropriately.
Maybe you agree to reconnect next quarter.
Maybe you share a helpful resource.
Maybe they belong in a longer-term follow-up process.
Or maybe you both recognize that working together doesn't make sense.
That's fine, too.
The important thing is that you're no longer pretending an undecided prospect is a sale waiting to happen.
A clear no gives you the freedom to move forward.
And it gives your prospect that same freedom.
If their circumstances change down the road, you can always have another conversation.
Stop Acting Like a Salesperson. Start Thinking Like a Guide.
I want to tell you a story.
When I was in high school, I went on a wilderness trip in the Boundary Waters.
The first year was a complete disaster.
We didn't have an experienced guide. We had someone who had spent about a week learning how to lead the trip.
And let's just say things didn't go according to plan.
We ate all our food the first night.
Yep. The first night.
We got lost.
People got hurt.
Things got so bad that we almost needed helicopters to come rescue us.
It was a hot mess.
So when the opportunity came to go back the next year, I wasn't thrilled.
But this time, something was different.
We had an experienced guide.
And the trip was incredible.
We had enough food. We knew where we were going. We learned how to read the maps and navigate the wilderness.
And here's what I remember most.
The guide didn't carry us through the wilderness. They helped us learn how to navigate it.
They gave us the information, support, and direction we needed to make good decisions.
They didn't make every decision for us.
But they also didn't leave us wandering around hoping we'd figure everything out.
And that's how I want you to think about your sales conversations.
Your prospect doesn't need you to pick them up and carry them toward a purchase.
They need someone who understands the terrain.
Someone who can help them recognize where they are, where they want to go, and what it would take to get there.
That's your job.
Be the guide.
What Happens When You Stop Chasing Yes?
Something interesting happens when you shift your focus from convincing people to helping them decide.
Your sales conversations start to change.
You're less focused on finding the perfect thing to say.
You're more interested in understanding what's happening with your prospect.
You stop treating objections like obstacles you need to overcome.
You start seeing them as questions worth exploring.
And instead of ending every call hoping the prospect will eventually decide to buy, you help them understand what they need to make that decision.
This benefits both of you.
Your prospect gets a clearer picture of their options.
You get a clearer understanding of where the opportunity stands.
And when someone does say yes, they've made a decision they feel good about.
That's the kind of customer relationship I want to build.
Because making a sale is only the beginning.
You still have to deliver the service.
You still have to work together.
And you want that relationship to start with confidence, not hesitation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Getting a Clear Answer in Sales
Why is no better than maybe in sales?
A clear no tells you where the prospect stands, while an unclear maybe can leave you spending time and energy on an opportunity that may never move forward. Knowing the answer helps you manage your sales pipeline, plan your follow-up, and focus on prospects who are ready to make a decision.
It also helps your customer move forward instead of remaining uncertain.
How do you ask for a buying decision without being pushy?
Focus on helping the prospect determine whether your service solves their problem.
Ask questions, address their concerns, and give them room to decide.
You can ask something as simple as, "Based on what we've discussed, how are you feeling about moving forward?"
Then listen to their response.
If they're uncertain, explore what's holding them back rather than trying to convince them.
What should you do when a prospect says, "I need to think about it"?
First, don't assume that means they're not interested.
They may have a legitimate concern or another decision to make.
Rather than immediately ending the call, get curious about what they need to think through.
You might ask, "Of course. What part of the decision would be helpful to talk through together?"
The purpose isn't to eliminate their thinking time. It's to understand whether there's something you can help clarify.
How do you know when to stop following up with a sales prospect?
It depends on what you've learned during your conversations.
If they've clearly said no, respect that decision and determine whether future contact would be appropriate.
If they're interested but waiting on a specific event or decision, agree on a follow-up plan.
If they haven't responded after several thoughtful attempts, it may be time to move them into a longer-term nurture process rather than continuing to chase an immediate sale.
Does helping someone make a decision mean you have to close on the first call?
No.
Some buying decisions are more complex than others, especially in B2B services.
Your prospect might need several conversations before they're ready to move forward.
The key is that each conversation should help them understand their situation, evaluate their options, or take another step toward a decision.
Progress doesn't always mean getting a yes. Sometimes it means getting clarity.
The Best Sales Conversations Lead to Clear Decisions
If you've built a successful service business, you've probably gotten pretty good at talking with potential customers.
But having good conversations and helping people make decisions aren't always the same thing.
And that difference matters.
Because you can spend an entire week having pleasant sales conversations and still end up wondering how many of those people are going to buy.
I want something better for you.
I want you to have conversations that help people understand their problems, recognize the value of your services, and confidently decide whether working together makes sense.
Sometimes they'll say yes.
Sometimes they'll say no.
And sometimes they'll need another conversation before they're ready.
That's okay.
What matters is that you're guiding the process instead of leaving everyone guessing.
Because when you stop chasing yes and start helping people make decisions, you're serving your customers better.
And you're putting yourself in a much stronger position to make more sales.
Ready to Turn More Sales Conversations Into Paying Clients?
If you're tired of having great sales calls that don't turn into customers, I'd love to help you figure out what's happening.
I've spent more than 20 years in sales and had over 90,000 sales conversations. And with my background in counseling, I've learned how much of the buying decision happens in the conversation your prospect is having in their own head.
That's what I help business owners learn to recognize.
Through my one-on-one sales coaching, we'll look at how you're leading your sales conversations, where your prospects are getting stuck, and how you can help them make confident buying decisions.
Because you don't need more maybes.
You need better conversations that lead to clear decisions.
Let's talk about what's happening in your sales conversations and how I can help you make more sales.
This article is based on an episode of the Make More Sales with Brooke Greening podcast, where Scott and I discuss why getting a clear answer matters more than getting a yes.
Ever finish a sales call feeling great, only to realize you have no idea if the prospect is going to buy?
They said, โLet me think about it,โ or โSend me some information.โ You walked away hopeful. And now? Youโre stuck following up, wondering if theyโre interested, and trying to figure out what happens next.
Hereโs the thing: A clear โnoโ is often more valuable than a vague โmaybe.โ
And learning how to help your prospects make a confident buying decision might be one of the most important sales skills you develop.
Episode Summary
In this episode of Make More Sales with Brooke Greening, Scott and I tackle one of the biggest challenges in B2B sales: helping potential customers make decisions without feeling pushy or manipulative.
Most salespeople think their job is to get the customer to say yes. I see it differently. Your job is to help them make a clear decision, even when that decision is no.
Weโll explore why so many experienced business owners avoid asking for a decision, how a pipeline full of โmaybesโ creates false confidence in your sales forecast, and why a โnoโ today doesnโt necessarily mean โnoโ forever.
Plus, Iโll share how a disastrous wilderness adventure taught me something valuable about the difference between guiding someone and trying to convince them.
Because great sales conversations arenโt about winning a tug-of-war with your prospects. Theyโre about helping people determine whether working with you is the right decision.
What Youโll Learn
- Why โmaybeโ is worse than โnoโ in sales:ย How indecision wastes time, drains your energy, and makes your sales pipeline look healthier than it is.
- The difference between convincing and guiding:ย Why helping prospects make their own decisions leads to better client relationships.
- 3 reasons salespeople avoid asking for a decision:ย Including the surprising mistakes experienced business owners make without realizing it.
- How to recognize when a sales conversation lacks clarity:ย Why a prospect leaving a call without a decision isnโt always a sign they need more information.
- Why a โnoโ doesnโt mean โno foreverโ:ย How clear answers help you build better follow-up strategies and focus on prospects who are ready to move forward.
- How to lead sales conversations without being pushy:ย Why approaching the conversation as a guide rather than a closer changes everything.
Resources Mentioned
Want to turn more sales conversations into paying clients?
With more than 90,000 sales conversations and a masterโs in counseling, Brooke helps B2B service providers understand whatโs happening in their sales conversations, guide buyers toward confident decisions, and make more sales.
Schedule a Call with Brooke to explore how one-on-one sales coaching can help you improve your sales conversations.
AI tools mentioned in the preview of our next episode:
Join the Conversation & Subscribe
Are you holding on to too many โmaybesโ in your sales pipeline?
Weโd love to hear how youโre helping prospects make buying decisions. Leave a comment, share your experience, or send this episode to another business owner whoโs tired of chasing prospects.
Subscribe to Make More Sales with Brooke Greening for weekly conversations about understanding your buyers, improving your sales process, and closing more deals without manipulation or pressure.
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Connect with Brooke on LinkedIn
Want more practical advice on leading better sales conversations and growing your service-based business?
Connect with Brooke Greening on LinkedIn
Hereโs to valuing your customers and making more sales!
Why โNoโ Is Better Than โMaybeโ in Sales (And How to Get a Clear Answer) | Episode Chapters
00:00 Why โNoโ Is Better Than โMaybeโ in Sales
00:45 Why Unclear Sales Conversations Cost You Sales
03:18 How to Help Prospects Make Buying Decisions
06:25 How to Sell Without Being Pushy or Manipulative
09:10 Why Salespeople Avoid Asking for a Decision
10:58 How to Stop Fearing โNoโ on Sales Calls
11:50 Why โMaybeโ Is Hurting Your Sales Pipeline
14:04 The Psychology Behind Customer Buying Decisions
15:25 How to Guide Buyers to a Confident Decision
17:52 Next Episode: How AI Is Changing Sales Conversations
Why "No" Is Better Than "Maybe" in Sales (And How to Get a Clear Answer) | Full Transcript
Brooke Greening: Most salespeople think that their job is to get their customer to say yes. I don't. My job is to help them to come to a clear decision.
Sometimes that decision is yes, and sometimes that decision is no. But if you're talking with your client and it ends with, "Oh, I want to think about it," or, "Send me over something," you probably haven't helped them decide anything.
So the fundamental difference between convincing and helping them to come to a conclusion on their own is that convincing is serving you.
It's just serving you. You're just trying to get them to say yes so that you can make the sale, and you can keep moving forward, and that's like a manipulation tactic.
We don't need to be afraid of no. No is not a bad thing. I would much rather have a no than a maybe. Maybes are the thing that kill you, not the no.
Scott Greening: Welcome to another episode of Make More Sales with Brooke Greening, where in about the time that it takes you to enjoy your coffee or matcha break, Brooke, our sales coach, gives you some great advice on how to move your sales conversations forward.
Because if you have to talk to people to make a sale, how well you lead that conversation is going to make or break your sales conversation. Brooke, as we were getting ready for the topic of today, which has to do with helping customers make decisions and buying decisions, we were lamenting or comparing our comfort with ambiguity.
Brooke Greening: Yeah. I don't have any. And you love it.
Scott Greening: Yeah, I just take things as they come. We don't have to have any, any, uh, solid decisions. It's okay. We- we'll keep working on it. And I know sometimes when you ask me, like, "How did a conversation go," or a sales conversation, I'm like, "I think it was pretty good." And that's, that's not as...
That's more ambiguous than you would like.
Brooke Greening: Yes. And I would like to say, it's not that you don't... It's not that am- and I'm going to trip over my word, but ambiguity is something that is all the time for you, 'cause you are a strategic planner. You've gotten your doctorate in leadership development. You are very strategic when you choose to be.
But when it comes to a lot of our stuff in our family, that's where the ambiguity is okay with you. And for me, it's like, no, no, no, I would like to have a specific date. I would like to know what we're doing. I would like to have a plan. I don't like winging it.
Scott Greening: Yes. So on our agenda later today- ... is talking about our calendar and that.
Brooke Greening: Every day. Every week we do it.
Scott Greening: But we do want to-
Brooke Greening: Every week
Scott Greening: ... we do want to help our potential clients, our potential customers, remove ambiguity on the, the sales conversation. And we want to help them lead to a buying decision and help them along in that. And so that's kind of what we're talking about today, is how do we help them make a decision?
And we're doing this series on sort of current buying realities, and we talked last time about the fact that there's lots of information out there. And so the role isn't really to share all that information, but it is to help them make a buying decision. So why don't we start with that and just ask the question to, first off w- what do you mean when you say help them make a buying decision?
What would be the, the definition? What are we talking about?
Brooke Greening: the very first thing is my whole goal is to try to figure out, and I work with my clients to figure this out as well, like if working with me is going to help them or hurt them. That's literally what we're trying to help them come to a conclusion about.
And so what we really want to emphasize is that especially in sales conversations, people are coming to you because there is a problem that they're facing. They could do anything else besides get on a call with you. They could look you up on the internet, they can talk to- they can check you out on AI, and we're going to talk about these things further through the series.
But it's just an important reminder to know when they're talking to you, there is a problem. That problem can be good. That problem can be bad. I'm not saying their whole business is imploding, but I am telling you something drive- drove them to be able to have a conversation with you. And our whole goal is trying to figure out, okay, if what I have to offer, is this going to help you, or is this going to hurt you?
And that is the decision we're helping them come to. If we're not doing that, all we're doing is just explaining and acting more like marketing instead of actually having a sales conversation, and it's hurting us, and it's hurting our sales.
Scott Greening: Yeah, and I was thinking just over the weekend, we kind of ran into this in a different field.
Our son Asher has, maybe we're trying to work through, a medical diagnosis, and so we- you took him to the doctor on Saturday, and they said, "We're going to, we're going to try this, and if this happens then we're on the right track. Keep taking the medicine. But if it doesn't happen, then we have to do another set of things."
And so part of what we're doing and part of your nervousness in that moment is I want to do the right thing. I don't want to like needlessly subject my son to something he doesn't need to, but the doctor helped you like get to a decision point where then- Yeah ... we got in the car and went to the pharmacy and, and we're on board with the plan.
Brooke Greening: Yes, and instead of being ambiguous about what we're talking about, we're trying to figure out if Asher has Lyme or not. Yeah. So he is getting treated for Lyme right now, and if it's not Lyme then that's not going to be a very fun conversation. We have to start figuring other things out because something is, is going on.
And so instead of me just, instead of me not knowing exactly what was going on, I literally sat down with the doctor and I said, "Okay, I need you to help me to understand A, B, C" in regards to what we're doing 'cause we don't want to subject him to doxycycline without any like actual evidence behind it, but that's, that's what we're doing.
We're eliminating one so that we can either diagnose it or move on to the next one. So yeah, it's, you can't ... In life and in sales conversations, if anything is ambiguous it's not helpful. And then people just don't make decisions at all. And then they just sit on it, and they're like, "Okay. Well, we'll just watch it, and we'll see."
And we can't do that right now. We have to act
Scott Greening: Yeah, and it's, again, when we help people make decisions it's actually serving them. It's not a, it's not a bad thing. We don't have to feel bad about that in our sales conversations, and thankfully for most of us, our sales conversations aren't involving medical diagnoses Uh, or those types of things.
But people do have problems, and they are looking for help. So, that manipulation idea is a big fear for a lot of people. So what's the difference between helping someone decide or trying to convince them?
Brooke Greening: Yes. So the fundamental difference between convincing and helping them to come to a conclusion on their own is that convincing is serving you.
It's just serving you. You're just trying to get them to say yes so that you can make the sale, and you can keep moving forward, and that's like a manipulation tactic. You may not think that necessarily, but if they're still like, "Eh, I don't really know if we want to move forward," and you just keep trying to throw things at them to convince them we're getting it all wrong at that point.
When we are helping them come to a decision, we are serving both them and ourselves. So like convincing is more adversarial. I would say it's kind of like what we were talking about like with tug and war, like tug-of-war, and then helping them come to a decision, like guiding them, coming alongside of them, and helping them to come up with their own conclusions, that's when we're serving them and ourselves.
And then you don't have to move to convin- to convincing them when you're moving forward with the sale because that is the decision that they have
Scott Greening: Yeah, I think that tug-of-war picture is a, is a good one. Like, sometimes people approach sales and the customer says one, and then you're going to pull harder in the opposite direction, and you're going to try to-
Brooke Greening: Yes
Scott Greening: overwhelm them, or you're going to try to trick them, or you're going to try to manipulate them. And it goes back and forth, and whoever pulled the strongest-
Brooke Greening: Wears out
Scott Greening: ... at the end yeah, wins. And either you've- Yes ... worn them out and they say yes, or you've done something and there's always a winner and a loser.
Brooke Greening: Yes.
Scott Greening: It's possible, though, to, like, come alongside and to pull in the same direction. You're trying to- Yeah ... find a solution to their problem. And maybe that's you and your services, mayb- maybe in some cases it might be something else, but you're trying to work with them as opposed to against them.
Brooke Greening: Yes.
And just like we were talking about with tug-of-war like you said, and I love that you said this, like, there's a winner and a loser, and that's not what we're going for in a sales conversation. And if they feel that, and if at they, at all, feel like they lost even when they've said yes, that is going to start it off on the wrong foot in regards to the whole entire relationship, and you might not even be realizing what they're thinking in their head, but they're not excited to start working with you.
They just feel like they've either gotten worn down, they've tripped, and that's why you've won the tug-of-war- ... or their hands are, like, burning because you've pulled so hard. Yeah. None of those, none of those are going to actually set you up for success, or your client up for success. 'Cause now they're in this new sales agreement with you, already hesitant, and that's the exact opposite, and that is going to start coming up as you start working with them.
Scott Greening: Yeah. All right. Now, the surprising thing, or at least surprising to you, uh, but it's actually very common, is that lots of salespeople actually avoid peop- helping people make a decision. Mm-hmm ... why, why do people do that? It's, it seems, like, obvious, but then it doesn't happen. Why is that?
Brooke Greening: Yeah So one of the main reasons is that a lot of people are just good human beings, and I was talking to one of my clients, and they were just talking about how, like, their empathy is kind of, like, off the charts.
And so they, like, bring on that feeling, whether it's true or not true, from the potential client. Like, "Oh, I don't want to have to have them say no," or, "I don't want this to get awkward," or, "I don't want this to feel pushy." And that might be something that's going on. second thing happens is a lot of times they don't even know that they're not being clear and helping them come to a conclusion, but when I'm listening to their calls and then I'm showing them, "At this exact sentence, that's where this started getting fuzzy, and you've got off the call feeling like, 'Yeah, I told them exactly what was happening, what they needed to do.'
But if you actually review it, it was unclear to them, and they weren't even able to make a decision on the call." So the first one is we don't ask them to make a decision. Mm-hmm. We're not even bringing it up. The... And whether that's we don't want them to feel uncomfortable or we don't want to feel uncomfortable, that's one.
Two, we think we actually have, and we have not, and it's be- it's becoming more and more clear in that.
Scott Greening: Yeah.
Brooke Greening: Or three, people just are kind of needlessly afraid of no, instead of it being we are both adults. We both have businesses. This is what we can do. I always, I think in my head and I tell my clients, we don't say no for them, and a lot of times we end up doing that, and so that's the other, that's the other piece.
We don't need to be afraid of no. No is not a bad thing. I would much rather have a no than a maybe. Maybes are the thing that kill you, not the no.
Scott Greening: Yeah, and I, I- I think we're so hopeful, and maybe it's so discouraging that unless you're someone like you who just really thrives on the sales conversation, and I know when you get off a sales conversation and somebody says no, that, like, actually energizes you and motivates you because you're like, "Okay, I know I'm closer to the next yes.
I know I've gotten an answer. I can move on." But for other people, maybe like me- ... like, that, that idea of hearing a no, of is not fun. It's a scary thing, and there's, failure. There's all sorts of things connected with it. And so we sort of get afraid of it and we sort of structure our conversations in a way where, where we don't have to hear that word.
Brooke Greening: And I want to say this is not just for people who are just starting off in sales. I work with clients, and they are doing a great job in their business. And they are making money. This is not just, oh, I, I only have, like, one conversation or so every once in a while, and I'm nervous to do it. No, these are people who have conversations on a regular basis. what I want to encourage and remind you of is the maybes are, are not helpful for you because what happens is, ironically, we want, we will actually rather hear a maybe than a yes or a no. And then what happens is we feel like that's going to move forward, and that takes a ton of our time and a tum- ton of our mental space, and we're, we may be wrong, like- Yeah
it may actually be a clear no, but we don't ac- we don't know because we didn't help them come to that de- decision. And so what happens is it takes up a lot of our time. It's coming, um, into our mental space, and we've tricked ourselves, thinking we have more people who are ready to buy than they are.
Instead of a clear no, does not always mean no forever, but it means no now. And so then we figure out, okay, what's the next step for them? We talk about where do they go in regards to the, the funnels that we create for our customers and follow-up strategies and all of that. And then we move on because if you don't move on, now you're still stuck.
And you think, "Okay, this is going to happen," and you convince yourself you're going to have more sales than you actually have. And that, that is not a fun situation, and that's why we're on the sales rollercoaster and all of those things. So it's just you need to help them make a decision, both for them and for you.
Maybes are not, are not good answers
Scott Greening: Yeah, and the, I think of one of my strategic planning principles in that, of the, the truth sets you free. Like, you can get- Mm-hmm ... stuck, you can get enslaved if you're not telling yourself the truth, or maybe you're not asking for the truth from your customer on where they're really at with regards to this decision.
And- Mm ... You're helping them make it. And if it's not the right time, it probably helps everyone know that instead of living on a prayer. So.
Brooke Greening: We're going to break out into song now.
Scott Greening: All right, everyone, we've been discussing how customers make decisions, and the reality is, is that there are two parts to every sales conversation.
There's the first part, which is the part where you're talking back and forth with the customer. But then there's also the second part, the conversation that's happening in their mind and in their head. And it's their emotions, their feelings, their motivations, and their fears. And the reality is that the buying decision gets made in that second conversation that's happening internally.
And that's where Brooke's 90,000 sales conversations and her master's in counseling can help you unlock that internal conversation so you can really help people make this buying decision. And if you want Brooke's help in learning how to do that, the first step is to schedule a call. So when you're ready to have more of these sales conversations result in conversions and closes and more revenue, schedule a call with Brooke.
And you can do that at buildingmomentum.info/meet Brooke we've been talking we've talked about these sort of three ideas or these three questions related to helping people make decisions. How would you kind of like tie this up and give people encouragement here at the end?
Brooke Greening: Yeah. I just want to encourage you.
So I have a master's in counseling, and so sometimes people feel like, "Oh, well, I don't have a master's in counseling. I can't do it the way that Brooke does," but you don't have to have a master's in counseling. I just want you to think about it as being able to be a guide in that sales conversation. And I'm reminded of when I was actually in high school, we went on wilderness and the very first year that we went was a complete hot mess.
We did not have a guide. We just had someone who tried to go learn how to do this for, like, a week and come back and then like, "Yeah, sure, we can do it." And we were out in the boundary waters of Canada. We literally ate all of our food on the very first night 'cause we had no idea, like, how to be able to ration it out or how it was set up.
We were lost out in the boundary waters. People got hurt. Like, we almost needed to bring in, like, helicopters to come and grab us and take us back home. It was a hot mess, and it was kind of dangerous, and it... At the next time, I was like, "I don't know if I want to do this." And they're like, "No, no, no, Brooke, this is going to be different.
This is different. Like, we've hired a guide." And so the next year, I went on it again, and it was incredible. We had great meals because we didn't eat all of our food. We were able to make decisions. They were helping us to know how to learn how to read the maps and go around in the boundary waters. But they weren't, like, leading us into, like, the depths of things that we couldn't really get ourselves out of.
They didn't f- pick us up and carry us through. They just guided us, and that is what we want to do in sales conversations. We want to help them come to a conclusion. Is this going to be a good decision or not a good decision? And we can help them do that on our first call. We can help them do that on our second call.
That's what we want to be able to do, and that's how we're best able to serve them and to make more sales.
Scott Greening: Yeah, and I think that idea of being a guide and helping people make this decision so they can do d- they can do fun. If you're in, like, service provider B2B sales, people are probably reaching out to you because they'd rather not do the thing that you're really good at.
Um, and you can help them make this decision and then get to the enjoy, the, the parts of the businesses that they enjoy and, uh, and thrive at.
All right. Thanks, Brooke,
So we're continuing our conversation. We've done so today, and we'll do so in our next episode of about some of the current realities and people making buying decisions. And next time we're going to be talking about everyone's favorite topic it seems like right now: AI. So what happens when somebody looks you up on AI and comes loaded with, uh, what ChatGPT or Gemini or Claude told them about you, and how do you handle that?
And so if you want to make sure that you don't miss that episode, we encourage you to go to buildingmomentum.info/podcast, and you can find all of the links to all of the episodes and platforms of your choice. We'd love for you to follow, to subscribe. And of course, if you've been finding value in these conversations, we love hearing from you through reviews and comments and participating in the conversation.
But you can find all of that at buildingmomentum.info/podcast. And until then, remember, when you're ready to make more sales, call Brooke
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