The power of instead
A "Quick No" is great, but do pause for a second, and see if you can make it even better.
This is something I almost forgot the other day when I received an unexpected proposition.
It was interesting. It was related to my line of work. But I knew, in a snap, that It'll distract me. It was a quick and easy "nope."
I started typing my response. Then, I paused mid sentence because...
It dawned on me something:
The what was misaligned, but the who... the who was aligned!
I replied with a different option to explore, explaining the why and asking if they would be still open to talk. What have I to lose, right? Worse case scenario, they will say no (which was my initial response anyways).
To my surprise this was their quick answer:
"Sounds great. Let's have a brief call to discuss how we can collaborate."
Now, with a date on our calendars, this story is unfolding. It started because:
- Someone dared to pitch something to someone else.
- That someone else dared to propose a different thing instead.
Funny, huh?
I made a template for you. Feel free to add this into your repertoire ⤵️
Reframing Opportunity Template
Hi [Name],
Thanks for reaching out.
I do find [X] interesting.
That said, what if we explore [Y] as a different alternative? I'm telling you this because:
1) On one hand, I have no [X] on my near-term horizon.
2) On the other hand, I'm currently focusing on [Y] because [Z].
What do you think [Name]? Would you still be open to talk?
Thanks for reading!
Alberto
PS: If I were to create a podcast episode for you, and address the challenge that makes achieving your goals harder, what would that podcast episode be about?
