--- title: How You Trained Yourself to Take No for an Answer | The Sales Blog description: Slowly, imperceptibly, you have trained yourself to take “no” for an answer. You gave up the discomfort of persistence for the role of pushover.... image: https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_174182291.jpg --- ### [Now booking SKO meetings for 2026/27! 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You have asked so many times that you have lost count of how much this contact has told you “No.” You want to believe that “no” doesn’t mean “no,” that it means “maybe,” or “later,” or something. And then you stop calling this prospect. They’re just too difficult. [You give up](http://thesalesblog.com/2016/01/29/give-up/). ## A Step Onto the Slippery Slope You’ve been calling another dream client. You haven’t called them nearly as often as you called the first dream client, the one you decided to quit pursuing. But this prospect is no different. They won’t give you the time of day, and they continually reject your request for a meeting out of hand. Even though you’ve made only half the attempts to reach this client as the first prospect, you decide it’s hopeless. So you stop calling and move on to lower hanging fruit. ## Spiraling Downward Another dream client has taken your calls. But she’s always said “[no](http://thesalesblog.com/2016/02/03/why-will-they-say-no/)” to each and every one of your requests for a meeting. She’s nice, polite, and professional, but she always says “no.” Honestly, you haven’t made anywhere near as many attempts to schedule a meeting with this prospect as you have the other two. You decide that this prospect is just like the other two, and you decide to discontinue calling her. You have better things to do with your time. Slowly, imperceptibly, you have trained yourself to take “no” for an answer. You’ve allowed yourself to give up the discomfort of persistence for the conflict-free role of pushover. The pursuit of your dream clients is a game with no time limit. You don’t have to win now. You don’t even have to win their business next quarter. You just have to win their business eventually. If you keep giving up every time a prospect says “no,” how long will it be before you eliminate all of the dream clients in your territory? The mark of the professional is their willingness to [persist](http://thesalesblog.com/2011/05/12/the-difference-between-persistence-and-nuisance%e2%80%94the-sales-blog-mailbag/). ###### Tags: [Sales](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/sales) [2016](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/2016) Post by [Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/author/anthony-iannarino) on May 23, 2016 Written and edited by human brains and human hands. ![Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/ai-blog-profile-crop.jpg) Anthony Iannarino is an American writer. He has published daily at [thesalesblog.com](https://www.thesalesblog.com) for more than 14 years, amassing over 5,300 articles and making this platform a destination for salespeople and sales leaders. Anthony is also the author of four best-selling books documenting modern sales methodologies and a fifth book for sales leaders seeking revenue growth. His latest book for an even wider audience is titled, The Negativity Fast: Proven Techniques to Increase Positivity, Reduce Fear, and Boost Success. Anthony speaks to sales organizations worldwide, delivering cutting-edge sales strategies and tactics that work in this ever-evolving B2B landscape. He also provides workshops and seminars. Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn, X or Youtube. You can email Anthony at [iannarino@gmail.com](mailto:iannarino@gmail.com) [Follow me on my website](https://www.thesalesblog.com/anthony-iannarino) [Follow me on Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/thesalesblog) [Follow me on LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/iannarino/) [Follow me on Twitter ](http://www.twitter.com/iannarino) [![AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27.jpg?width=400&height=400&name=AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27.jpg)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/authority) [![ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1.jpg?width=318&height=179&name=ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1.jpg)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/free-cold-calling-video) ![salescall-planner-ebook-v3-1-cover (1)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/salescall-planner-ebook-v3-1-cover%20(1).jpg?width=768&height=994&name=salescall-planner-ebook-v3-1-cover%20(1).jpg) ### Free Sales eBook: Sales Call Planner Planning your sales call improves the likelihood of making a successful call, and it demonstrates to your dream client your professionalism. 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What we’re doing right now **is working**, even in this challenging economy. **Would you like some help?** [![Solve for Sales](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035) ### Join my Weekly Newsletter for Sales Tips Join 100,000+ sales professionals in my weekly newsletter and get my *Guide to Becoming a Sales Hustler* eBook for FREE! --- ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org/", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Anthony Iannarino" }, "dateModified" : "2021-09-17T2:32:52 PM", "datePublished" : "2016-05-23 19:57:50", "description" : "Slowly, imperceptibly, you have trained yourself to take “no” for an answer. 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