Shep Hyken - What To Do When You Can't Say Yes

One of the most negative situations one can create with a customer is to say “no.” In general, people
hate to be told “no.” It starts when we are little kids and our parents constantly scream “NO!” at us.
But sometimes saying “no” is unavoidable. In Karen Leland & Keith Bailey’s excellent book, Customer
Service for Dummies, they cover a number of reasons you would have to say “no.” Let’s cover some
major reasons why we would have to say “no,” and what we can or cannot do about them.

It is the law - Sometimes you are asked to do something and agreeing to do it would break a law. This
one is simple. Most customers should be comfortable with the reason.

It is company policy - I hate being told someone can’t do something because of “company policy.” One
Saturday evening my wife and I ventured to a restaurant known for great food at reasonable prices. I
decided to try the pork special, which included potatoes and vegetables. I asked what the vegetables
were. The waitress told me string beans and corn. Well, I love corn, but hate string beans, and I asked if
I could have extra corn instead of the string beans. The waitress said they do not substitute. So, I
asked her just to leave the string beans off. She told me she couldn’t do that either. I asked why. She
said it was their policy. I told her that at McDonalds if I don’t want a pickle, they leave off the pickle.
She looked at me like I was nuts! The dinner came with the string beans and we never went back.

We are out of it - A company can be out of a part. The book store can be out of a best selling book. A
movie theater can be sold out of seats. It is all the same. You have to tell the customer you don’t have
any more. So, what do we do? Let’s take a lesson from Nordstrom’s. Legend has it that a customer
wanted something that Nordstrom’s was out of. The employee asked the customer to come back in
fifteen minutes. Meanwhile the employee ran to another store in the mall, paid retail for the item and
brought it back to Nordstrom’s where it was sold to the customer as if Nordstrom’s had the item all
along. Great solution when you can do it, but sometimes it is not that easy. One of my retail clients will
actually send the customer to the competition, but not before they call the store and have it held in their
customers name. Most of the time the customers are appreciative, seeing that the store is more
interested in taking care of the customer than making sale. In the long term, the store gains the customer’
s loyalty and trust. Sometimes you just have to resort to telling the customer when the item will be back
in stock. Just make sure you honor your promise. If you say it will be in next Tuesday, it had better be in.

It just can’t be done - Sometimes a customer wants something that just can’t be done or is impossible to
get. It is that simple. Your goal should be to educate the customer why you can’t get them what they
want. However, if you are really good, you could try to help find it somewhere else, or maybe find a
replacement.

Yes isn’t good enough - Sometimes giving the customer what he/she wants doesn’t ensure the customer
will be happy with you. I remember pulling into a parking lot which had some open spaces I could see
from the street only to be told they were full. I argued that I saw open spots. The attendant argued that
there weren’t any. He refused to look, even though I told them exactly where they were. After five
minutes of arguing, he finally agreed to look. Sure enough he saw the spaces I had seen from the street.
He angrily waved me in. Even though I got my parking space, I was mad. He “gave in,” but he did it too
late.

Saying “no” isn’t so bad - No, might not be so bad. One day I went into one of my favorite places,
Baskin Robbins, the well known ice cream parlor. I was excited to order my favorite flavor,
Quarterback Crunch. To my disappointment, they were out of that flavor. The girl dishing out the ice
cream told me what her favorite flavor was and asked if I wanted to try it. I did and guess what? I now
have a new favorite flavor! Substitution is a viable alternative to many situations. Sometimes it may be
obvious, while other times you may have to take a creative approach. With the right attitude, you may
find that saying “no” is an opportunity to show how good you are.

So the next time you are forced to say “no” to a customer or client, think of the above. Delivering great
service and creating Moments of Magic have always included common sense thinking and flexibility.

To purchase a copy of Karen Leland and Keith Bailey’s Customer Service for Dummies, visit your
favorite bookstore or contact them at Sterling Consulting Group, (415) 331-5200, email:
sterconinc@aol.com.