𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐬𝐤 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 (𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐢𝐭!)

The prospect can ask for a discount.

They can ask for different terms too.

They can expect you to be a "free consultant" spending 45 minutes with them giving them all sorts of helpful information yet they have no intent or ability to buy.

The offer owner can offer a sub-standard commission during the hiring process.

They can ask you to sign a non-compete and / or give 100% exclusivity too.

The sales manager can request daily - unpaid of course - 30 minute huddles as part of your 1099 relationship.

Said sales manager may expect you to cold call now too as the inbound leads (for this inbound role) have dried up...

In short, people - anyone including you - can ask for whatever they want.

They can expect it too.

However....

Just because someone wants / expects and then asks for something does not mean that we have to give it.

Or that we have to acquiesce.

Their right to ask is matched by our right to reject.

Sometimes we forget this as salespeople (and as humans in real life too).

If the ask either doesn't appeal to our self interest or is outside of our boundaries then we should say "no".

And a "no" doesn't mean the conversation is over when it's delivered right.

It just means that the ask - as it is presented - is not to be granted and there may now be a conversation starting about adjustments, trade-offs, compromises or further clarifications.

Just yesterday at the close for a 27.5K USD deal I got asked for both a discount and split payment terms.

I very politely declined both (the "how" is another story but it was done in a way that was not aggressive or adversarial - ie, winner takes all! - and kept the conversation open and moving forward and that the prospect had options).

2 minutes later he accepted and has already paid (the full amount in one payment) and we both feel good about the interaction.

As we should!

I'd only want him to come into the program - and actually accept him - on feeling he was coming into our world for the right reasons whilst feeling good about it.

And saying "no" to the initial ask doesn't mean all parties can't feel good about the interaction and actually do a deal.

As I did yesterday!

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