Larsen’s Words That Will Save You Grief Later On

I did it again.  Jumped right in and gave an immediate request to a vendor who asked me if I would give him a certain percentage of the sales of a new product in one of my companies.  Then several hours later I thought to myself, “What was I thinking???  That wasn’t an equitable deal!”

Now maybe you are not the kind of person who is so quick to respond without giving it a lot of thought.  But if you are, then I invite you to join me in my new commitment to save myself a lot of grief.  Here’s what we can do:

• Listen attentively to the request, nod, smile, do whatever you want – but inside your head just keep saying to yourself, “I don’t have to answer now.  I don’t have to answer now.”
• When they are finished speaking, open your mouth and say the following words, “That sounds interesting.  I’ll think about it and get back to you by “X” date.  (Pick a reasonable future time.)
• Walk away.  Change the subject.  Spill coffee on yourself.  Do something that moves you in a different direction.
• Actually spend time playing the devil’s advocate with yourself.  Weigh the pros and cons.  Research.  Seek advice or counsel if you choose.
• Come back at the designated time with your acceptance, refusal or counter-offer.

Take a much respected, totally acceptable, highly effective time-out and THEN use your words that work.

From your motivational speaker, Linda Larsen, learning as she goes