Would You Have Been Staying at the Cheap Motel Down the Street?

How do you respond to “no” in your business pursuits?

Let me share a short story about a “no” that that I recently experienced. I found out late one afternoon that I needed to get to suburban Charlotte for a week. I immediately got online to book my favorite hotel, but the website said there were no rooms available.

Would you have accepted that “no?”

I called the hotel. The reservation desk confirmed there were no rooms available. Would you have accepted that “no?”

When I woke up the next morning prior to my flight, I checked the website and it still said there were no rooms available. Would you have accepted that “no?”

I called the hotel again. The reservation desk confirmed again there were no rooms available. Would you have accepted that “no?”

When I arrived in Charlotte early in the afternoon, I called the hotel again to check for any cancellations. I was told there were no cancellations and there were no rooms available. Would you have accepted that “no?”

I drove to the hotel and went to the front desk and asked if there were any rooms available. The front desk clerk confirmed there were no rooms available. Would you have accepted that “no?”

So, I went to the hotel’s outdoor pool area to make a few calls I had scheduled that afternoon. After an hour, I went to the front desk to see if there were any cancellations and if there were any rooms. The front desk clerk confirmed that there were still no rooms available. Would you have accepted that “no?”

I returned to the pool to make a few more calls. An hour later, I went back to the front desk to see if there were any cancellations and if there were any rooms. The front desk clerk confirmed that there were still no rooms available. Would you have accepted that “no?”

Back to the pool I went to complete my calls for the day. An hour later, I went back to the front desk to see if there were any cancellations and if there were any rooms. The front desk clerk, whom I had befriended by that point, went to the hotel manager who told her to give me a room. In fact, they gave me my preferred room type and floor.

Would you have persevered through those “no’s?” Or would you have been staying at the cheap motel down the street?

The path to success in business is understanding that “no” doesn’t mean “no forever.” “No” just means “No, not now, please check back later.”