It’s also important to bear in mind that when you wipe the word no out of your customer vocabulary, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to say an outright yes. Offer alternatives, a sort of “I can’t do that for you, sir, but I can do this.” If a customer likes your product in a particular color that you don’t happen to have, suggest a color close to it. If your restaurant is out of a menu item that a customer orders, offer her a discount to come back the next night, when she can get the food she wants. You’re not telling them no—instead, it’s a qualified yes.
