“No” can be used assertively and nondefensively, as in: • “No, I’ll need time to think about that.” • “No, I am not as quick as you, and I want time to give it the thoughtful consideration it deserves.” • “No, I would rather have a contract with terms I know I can wholeheartedly embrace than endanger the quality of my work by compromising.” • “No,

Negotiating with yourself to shift your purposes can lower the threshold of how risky the conversation is likely to be and improve the odds of a constructive outcome.

Success in negotiating is all about maintaining control in a conversation, and the person in control is always the person who is asking the questions. By treating every objection you face as nothing more than a question, you can quickly regain control of the conversation by asking a question in return.

The Road to No