Ways to Nicely Say “No!”

When one is the owner of a small business, you get approached by all kinds of people who want you to do them favors. Among the favors is to please allow them to install their vending machines in your laundry. It’s always for a fine cause, and it will cost you nothing for them to install their good looking machines. All the money goes to their very fine charity.

The ones that are hardest to turn down are the mothers and kids from youth sports teams. They have been roped into the sales effort by the sports league or by the contractor offering the league a percentage of the profits. The kids are cute, and sometimes the mothers are too, so it’s hard to say no. But, sometimes you just have to say no.

The trick is to say NO!, without making it sound harsh or unfeeling. After all, in that Little League, you may have families that do their laundry with your business now, or will in the coming months and years. You don’t want to alienate a whole group of potential clients for the laundry by seeming insensitive.

If you already have candy sales going on, it’s easier to explain that the contractor for the machines you have has an exclusive agreement that you can’t break. That makes saying no quite reasonable and understandable. This can also work even if you personally own the vending machines, because, how does anyone know what kind on arrangements you may have made with others?

Another source of pressure to contribute comes from those who solicit contributions for their church or civic groups. These are all for a very good cause, and you feel a little bad if you can’t afford it. Personal pride prevents many from saying no, even if they feel they have to. You can’t say yes to everyone who asks for a contribution or asks you to join their group. There just isn’t enough money in a typical laundry budget to allow for it and not enough hours in the day to hear all of the requests.

Again, you don’t want to alienate groups of potential customers, but you have to have the reasonable capacity to say no. A good tool for that is to become the manager of the business, not the owner. It’s a little sneaky, but really isn’t dishonest. After all, you really manage your business for the owner who also happens to be yourself and your family.

In an election season, such as this year, there are lots of folks who want you to post a poster for their party or for their candidate. It’s fairly easy to explain that the owner of the laundry insists that his place of business be a campaign free zone for his customers. You’d be glad to do it, but you are only the manager.

By becoming the manager, you have given yourself another reasonable level of authority above you to go to for decisions about making any contributions, or doing favors. That stance gives you a chance to hold off a decision and to really think about what it is you want to do and how to do it without the pressure of someone, in your face, waiting for that decision.

If you’re the kind of person who really wants to say yes to most reasonable requests for funds but simply can’t afford to, you could really give yourself a bonus by promoting yourself to being the businesses’ manager. The pay and the hours are the same, but you’re insulated from pressured decisions. Simply explain that you have to talk it over with the boss.

 

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