One of my favorite words in the English language is the word NO. It's short. Concise. Packed with meaning. Powerful. Yet, people so rarely use it. Maybe it's because when we were two-year-olds our parents drummed it into our collective subconscious that it's wrong to say no. We learned at an early age that if we don't like something or don't want to do something we could refuse. It came to us naturally. Somewhere along the line, we seem to have lost that discovery.
NO carries a negative connotation. It's not a positive word like YES. Even though YES can sound sorta snake like. NO makes your mouth look like a monkey. YES makes you smile. People respond well to the word YES. YES is sunshine and lollipops. People withdraw at the word NO. They back away. Some consider it rude. NO is dark clouds and rain.
If a client emails me a question to which the answer is YES or NO and the correct answer is NO, I respond by saying YES, the answer is NO. Never start a sentence with the word NO, I have learned.
People feel almost apologetic when they have to tell somebody NO. They lace it with a string of excuses and rationales. I know I am guilty of it. I don't want to offend. For example, a couple of days ago I was writing an email to a Sacramento buyer's agent. This guy had made a stupid request. I typed about 5 lines explaining why I was declining his request, and then I erased them. Why? It was too much information. Too much information can provoke argument and lead to further discussion.
A simple, NO, was the only response I needed. Well, I'm sorry, NO. Three words. Soften the blow a little. I like the word NO. And sometimes I am not sorry that I say it. It's honest.
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