Latest / Closing the Deal with Fexingo: Sales, Negotiation, and Revenue Conversations for Operators / The Sales Rep Who Won by Asking for a No
Transcript
- Lucas: There's a SaaS company I've been following — mid-market, sells a compliance workflow tool. Their average deal size is around $80,000, sales cycle about six months. One of their reps had a deal that was stuck in legal review for eleven weeks. Luna: Eleven weeks? That's not a deal, that's a hostage situation. Lucas: Exactly. The prospect's legal team kept coming back with minor revisions — indemnification caps, liability limits, standard stuff. But every time the rep gave ground, they'd get another round of markups. No one was saying no, but no one was signing either. Luna: So what did she do? Lucas: She asked for a no. She sent an email to the VP of compliance — the economic buyer — and said, 'We've been going back and forth for almost three months. I want to be respectful of your team's time. If this deal isn't going to happen, just tell me no, and I'll stop bothering you.' Luna: And the VP said… Lucas: He replied within two hours. Said, 'No, we want this to happen. I'll get my team to finalize this week.' They signed seven days later. Luna: So by giving them permission to walk away, she actually accelerated the close. That's fascinating. Is there a name for this? Lucas: In negotiation theory, it's sometimes called 'the rejection frame' or 'consent-based closing.' Matt Dixon and Ted McKenna wrote about something similar in their book on 'The Challenger Sale' — but they focused more on challenging the buyer's thinking. This is almost the opposite. You're not challenging them; you're making it safe for them to be honest. Luna: It makes sense. If you're stuck in a cycle of 'maybe,' the buyer might feel trapped. They don't want to say no because they don't want to disappoint you, or they're afraid of burning a bridge. But saying no actually releases that pressure. Lucas: Right. And there's data on this. A study from the Journal of Consumer Research found that when people are given explicit permission to decline an offer, they're more likely to accept it. The researchers called it 'the boomerang effect.' The logic is that removing the pressure of a forced yes makes the eventual yes feel more voluntary and more committed. Luna: So the buyer isn't just signing — they're owning the decision. That's huge for implementation and renewals. Lucas: Exactly. And this isn't just a B2B SaaS thing. I've seen it work in professional services, in consulting, even in retail. There's a car dealership in Texas that trains its salespeople to say, 'If this isn't the right car for you, just tell me and I'll help you find something else.' They close at a higher rate than the average dealership in their region. Luna: But it can't work every time. There has to be a scenario where this backfires. Lucas: Sure. If you ask for a no too early in the relationship, before you've built value, the buyer might just take you up on it. The rep in our story had already done demos, built champions, negotiated terms — the value was established. She was just clearing the logjam. If you ask for a no during the first call, you're basically giving them an easy out. Luna: So timing is everything. You have to have earned the right to ask that question. Lucas: Right. And there's another risk: if you ask in a way that sounds desperate or passive-aggressive, it can backfire. The tone has to be genuinely gracious. 'I respect your time, and I'd rather know now than keep spinning.' If there's any hint of manipulation, the buyer will sense it and trust will erode. Luna: Let me ask you this — do you think this works better with certain buyer personalities? Like, a CFO who's very analytical versus a creative director who's more relationship-driven? Lucas: Great question. I think it works best with buyers who are risk-averse or conflict-avoidant. Those are the ones who get stuck in 'maybe' because they hate confrontation. For a buyer who's very decisive and comfortable with conflict, they'll say no on their own if they want to. The technique is less useful there. Luna: So it's really a tool for unfreezing indecision, not for changing a committed no. Lucas: Exactly. And that's an important distinction. You're not trying to convert a no into a yes. You're trying to convert a 'maybe' into a clear answer, which then allows you to either move forward or move on. And sometimes moving on is the right outcome — it frees up time for better opportunities. Luna: Speaking of freeing up time and resources — if these kinds of conversations have helped sharpen your own approach, and you want to support the show staying ad-free and focused on real sales craft, listeners can head to buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a small way to keep these episodes coming. Lucas: Yeah, we really appreciate that. And it keeps us independent, so we can keep digging into stories like this one. Luna: Alright, back to the technique. You mentioned earlier that there's a difference between asking for a no and being pushy. How do you phrase it so it lands as respectful? Lucas: I think the key is to frame it around their benefit, not yours. You say something like, 'I don't want to waste your team's time if this isn't the right fit. So if you've decided it's a no, please just tell me, and I'll stop reaching out.' That puts the buyer in control. You're not pressuring them; you're respecting their decision. Luna: And then what do you do if they actually say no? Do you just walk away? Lucas: You thank them for their honesty and ask if you can check back in six months. That keeps the door open. And sometimes, the act of saying no makes them realize they don't actually want to say no. There's a phenomenon called 'the door-in-the-face technique' — if you ask for something small after someone rejects a big ask, they're more likely to comply. But here, the 'no' itself can trigger a re-evaluation. Luna: So the no becomes a tool for clarity, not a dead end. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the core insight. Most sales training treats 'no' as the enemy. But if you remove the fear of saying no, you actually remove the friction that's keeping the deal in limbo. The best closers aren't the ones who never hear no — they're the ones who are comfortable enough with rejection to invite it. Luna: There's a line from a sales manager I once interviewed: 'The deal you lose cleanly is better than the deal you keep half-alive.' Lucas: That's perfect. And it maps to pipeline hygiene. A lot of reps carry dead deals for months because they're afraid to hear no. They'd rather have a deal that's '40 percent likely' in their pipeline than zero. But the data shows that if a deal has been in the same stage for more than 90 days without movement, the probability of close drops below 10 percent. Luna: So asking for a no is really a pipeline management tool disguised as a closing technique. Lucas: Yes. And it forces you to have honest conversations with yourself, too. Am I adding value here, or am I just chasing a phantom? I've used this technique myself when I was selling consulting engagements. I had one prospect that kept rescheduling calls for six months. Finally I said, 'Look, I'm happy to keep talking, but I get the sense this isn't a priority. Is that fair?' They said yes, and we both moved on. It was a relief. Luna: Did you ever re-engage them? Lucas: I did, about a year later, when their priorities changed. And they remembered that I was respectful of their time. That relationship became a client eventually. So the no didn't burn the bridge — it actually reinforced it. Luna: That's a great point. A clean no leaves the door open for a future yes. Lucas: Right. And that's something a lot of reps miss. They think that if they accept a no, they're giving up. But in reality, you're preserving goodwill and credibility. Plus, you're freeing up your own time to focus on deals that have a real shot. Luna: So what's the one takeaway you'd leave our listeners with? Lucas: If you're stuck in a deal that won't move forward and won't die, try giving the buyer explicit permission to say no. Say it out loud. Make it safe. You might be surprised how often that unlocks the logjam. And if they do say no, thank them and move on. The best salespeople are the ones who are willing to lose a deal cleanly. Luna: And then go find the next one. Thanks, Lucas. Lucas: Thanks, Luna. See you next time.