Positive NO

The Art of How to Say NO to a

Customer
By the end of the
module, participants
will be able to… 1 List call types

• In their respective business where there will be a need

to say NO to their customer

2 Identify a mechanism

• That helps them to say NO in a positive manner keeping

the customer experience enhanced

3 Practice

• A mechanism in a controlled environment before

applying it on live calls
Module Overview

01 Why do I need to say NO?

02 The Importance

03 The Advantage

04 A Technique

05 Let’s Practice
1 Why do I need to say NO?
(on calls/emails/chats/any interaction with customers)
 Business
Policy Account
Restrictions not verified

Un -
Service / reasonable Geographical or
Product not timelines regional
available restrictions
2 The Importance
 ·.¸¸.·♩♪♫
𝓛𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓸 𝓼𝓪𝔂 𝓷𝓸 𝓲𝓼
𝓪𝓷 𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓪𝓵 𝓼𝓴𝓲𝓵𝓵
𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓷𝓮𝓮𝓭 𝓪𝓼 𝓪 𝓬𝓾𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓻
𝓼𝓮𝓻𝓿𝓲𝓬𝓮 𝓪𝓭𝓿𝓲𝓼𝓸𝓻.
♫♪♩·.¸¸.·
Activity

Tell a story
Yes and , Yes but
What would you do?

For over 12 years, John has been managing the family business and works through
Christmas break.
He has been missing his celebrations with his wife and 2 sons and has decided he does
not want to do that anymore.

How can he tell his Father & Boss, who heads the business, that this year he
will not work over Christmas?

Option 2: NO, My
Option 1: This year I family needs me and I
will not be able to intend to spend the
work over the Christmas holidays
Christmas break. with them!!
Either Option N ei the r O pti o n
Is there another option?

Option 3: This year I intend to spend Christmas break with my family.

Here’s my proposal for how we can get the necessary work done in the
office while I spend the time I need with my family.

He has A Compelling Reason

He also had Alternate

Solutions ready

11
3
The Advantage
Positive No = YES NO YES + +

Represents Backed by Is used to

the reason the first set a way
for which Yes it helps forward or
we cannot explain provide
comply why we alternate
with the said NO solutions/
request. services
Happy Customer: A customer will
prefer to hear a no backed by
reasons and will appreciate our
honesty

Business: Policy and procedures

are adhered to thus, resulting in
cost savings & advocacy

More customer Advocacy

4 A Technique
The 7 Step method
Say “No” quickly Clarify things Begin with
before you say Explain the
without actually EMPATHY
“No” reasons
saying “No”

Follow up, sign Do your best to

post and provide solve the issue Offer
assurance with alternatives Alternatives
Say “No” quickly without actually saying “No”

Refusal is usually associated with policy or

procedure restriction. Explain carefully without
Be Assertive giving empty promises

Say “Yes” instead of The power of “yes”

saying “No”:
Even if you had to say “No”, no matter what, there is
Deliver positive news always something you can offer your customers to
maintain your relationship.
Clarify things before you say “No”

Do not rush to say “No”, clarify things carefully to avoid misunderstanding

Ask clarifying questions to ensure that you understand everything

Here are some examples of such questions we can use:

•“I am not quite sure I understand what you mean, could you clarify…….”
•“If I understand you correctly you’d like to……”
•“To avoid misunderstanding, could you confirm…..”
•“How specifically, are you requesting for?..”
Begin with EMPATHY
Empathy statements allow you to establish connection with your customers

Such statements create trust as well as mutual understanding

Here are empathy phrases which you can use while communicating
with your customers:
•“I would feel the same in your situation, let’s see what we can do to sort
this out….”
•“It seems frustrating, however may I offer you……”
•“We apologize for the inconvenience that this may have caused and
here is what we can do for you…. ”
Explain the reasons

Actively listen to the customers concerns

Explain everything clearly

Telling the customer “No” without explanation will make the customer feel upset and frustrated

Some examples:
•“Let me explain why we cannot provide this feature right now ….”
•“The main reason for ……”
•“We apologize for the inconvenience caused. The reason why we
cannot implement the requested feature is…..”

It will not take much time, but will definitely add more positivity to
your conversation.
Plus understanding the WHY behind the customer’s request will
help explain WHY we cannot provide it.
 Offer Alternatives
alternatives
Before you say “No” to customers, think of
alternatives
Is there anything else you can do for them?
Example: “Though we do not support this
payment method, we can keep your account
active while you are sorting out the issue with
your bank”.
Do your best to solve the issue with
Displaying customer engagement wins the trust of the customer
Here are a couple of scripts for this situation:
• “Unfortunately right now we cannot implement this feature.
However, let me check with our management if we can do this
in future.”
• “I am afraid our Christmas promo is over. However, we will be
glad to offer you a 15% discount for this subscription as you
have been our loyal customer for 5 years.”
• “I am not authorized to apply this update now. May I place
you on hold for 2 minutes, while I check if there is a technician
who can do this right away”.
Follow up, sign post and provide assurance
 Keep Following up and check if your customer is satisfied with the alternate solutions which will keep your
customer engaged knowing that you have his best interests in mind

 Signpost throughout the discussion, keeping your customers informed about your progress is important if you
want to win their loyalty

 Provide assurance to explain to them that you are there to find the best solution to resolve their issue
5 Let’s Practice
Practice Statements

1. Your customer asked you for a refund; however you can’t honour the request

2. You have a caller who insists that you service his account without verification

3. Your customer insists that he wants XYZ product and it is currently available

4. Customer insists that you service the account without placing him on hold

5. Customer insists that he/ she gets the credit back in their account within two days and your
timeline is 5-7 business days
Over to you!
Thanks!
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