Go For NO – How to build Resourceful Resilience and Close 2017 on an Absolute High

We’re into the final period of 2017. No matter what has happened this year, it can all change now. So here’s my question to you: how are you going to use the last few weeks of 2017 to make it your best year ever? This is what I call “winning time” because it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish that counts. I want you to look back on December 31 and be thrilled by your breakthroughs this year. I want you to be amazed by how much you achieved in the final quarter. I want you to build momentum that catapults you into 2018.

So what would it take for you to achieve your big audacious goal by December 31 2017? Well, first you have to have a big audacious goal? Now would be a good time to reset your sights higher and further.

I have three big audacious goals for the final period: first, I want to help 10 000 people achieve their big audacious goals. That’s why I’m creating this content. Second, I want to publish my seventh book called Dancing with Disruption. Thirdly, I want to win fifty assignments before Xmas. All three goals are massive for me. They will stretch me to the max. I’m scared. I’m excited. I’m ready to fully engage. How about you? Let’s pause for a moment while you think of your big audacious goal.

Yup, I’m not going anywhere until you form a clear image in your mind of the result that will thrill you to your core. Imagine that outcome. Imagine what it could mean for you. Imagine the impact it would have on the people around you. Imagine the pleasure it will bring you. Share it with me at Mike.Lipkin@environics.ca. I’ll follow up with you to make sure you achieve it.

Here are the three words that will enable you to achieve your big audacious goals: GO FOR NO. Pursue every opportunity to hear the word “NO.” Thrust yourself into impossible situations. Take chances when the odds are stacked against you. Do what you’ve never done before. Call people you’ve never called before. Make promises you’ve never made before. Say what you’ve never said before. Motivate other people to say NO, not now, not yet, not ever. Give yourself a wake-up call so you can awaken the power within others.

Think about your breakthrough moments. I guarantee you they were sparked by other people. Sometimes, they were highly pleasurable and sometimes they were acutely painful. All the time, they accelerated your evolution to the next level. But don’t wait for others to move you into action. Cause your own breakthroughs by surprising others. One of the best statements you can make is, “Wow, I’ve never done that before. I’m amazed at myself. Phew.”

Every time you hear “NO,” you grow. You come face to face with your fear. You stare it in the eyes and you don’t blink. You take pride in your courage and commitment to your cause. You smile because you’ve taken control. You’ve dared where others are afraid to tread. You’ve strengthened your mental muscles to go for even more NO’s.

Winners will always collect more NO’s than anyone else. They are trying more things. They are risking more personal capital. They are learning more techniques. They are experimenting with new approaches. They are setting themselves up for success.

NO is the sweetest word in the world. It means that you’ve asked for something. You’ve made a request. You’ve elicited a response. You’ve got onto someone else’s radar. You’ve planted a seed that could grow into anything. NO means freedom. Once someone has said “NO” to you, you can relax and ask for even more. There is nothing for you, or the other person, to lose. There is no mutual commitment so you can both explore all the options.

I get ten times more NO’s than YES’s. I expect to hear NO because I’m the one who is usually reaching out to others. I bring them possibilities that they didn’t consider before. I make promises they haven’t heard before. They were succeeding before I approached them. I represent change. I also represent risk. In the beginning, I haven’t earned their trust – especially when the stakes are high – and they always are. If I get an easy or immediate YES, I regard it as a bonus. I see it as a gift that energizes me to go for even more NO’s.

NO is other people’s default position. It’s a defence as well as a way of buying time to consider your value proposition without the pressure to say yes. It’s also an invitation to raise your game and enhance your offer. NO’s are packed with clues on how to get to YES. They are the staple diet of champions. Just like you need your daily requirement of vitamins and minerals, you need your daily NO’s.

When you’re achieving NO’s, you know you’re in the game. You’re swinging for the fences. You’re sharpening your moves and deepening your expertise. You’re mastering the ultimate distinction of true success: Resourceful Resilience. This is the capacity to convert frustration into fascination. It’s the ability to turn rejection into rejoicing. It’s the skill of shifting from disappointment to delight. It’s an unstoppable determination to enable others with your unique value – whatever it takes.

Resourceful Resilience is an acquired trait. It’s an appreciation that it’s not meant to be easy. It’s a willingness to endure the initial sting of delayed gratification so you can go for the greater prize. It’s the commitment to getting better not bitter. Excellence is never wasted. You can always repurpose it into other opportunities. I will apply my lessons learnt from creating this video into my seminars and coaching practice.

Today, triple your NO’s. Summon your mojo. Amplify your ambition. Make people offers that they have to refuse. Grant them freedom from YES. Just put the possibility in front of them for consideration. It’s the opposite of hard sell. In fact, it’s not selling at all. It’s a platform for mutual breakthroughs.

Here are the five specific actions you can take to GO FOR NO:

1. Identify five BOFO’s – Big Openings For Opportunity. These are key influencers who will benefit from your unique value proposition and help you achieve your big audacious goals. They could be people to whom you haven’t presented before. Or they could be people who may have said NO to you in the past.
2. Package your value proposition in a way that will capture their imagination. Present the opportunity to them in a way that doesn’t push for the immediate YES. Let them know you understand that they cannot commit immediately. Dial up your level of daring. Feel the fear and make it work for you. Make a big promise that will take everything you have to deliver. Earn the right to revert with an enhanced offer.
3. Follow through on your commitment to follow through. Ask your peers how you can make a deeper impact. Collaborate with other stakeholders to expand your value proposition. Have some fun. Make some noise. Spark their resurgence. Ask questions like:
   1. Have you ever considered…?
   2. What would happen if…?
   3. How would you feel if…?
   4. What would make the decisive difference?
   5. What does the customer really want that they’re not getting from anyone else?
4. Keep your pipeline full of BOFOs. Develop a cadence of communication. Like Michael Phelps or Andre de Grass trains every day, connect with BOFOs every day.
5. Celebrate the conversation. Give up your dependence on YES. Do it for the love of excellence and contribution. The rest will follow.

This is Mike Lipkin, and until the next time remember, every time you introduce something new, someone is going to say NO. But many NO’s make a YES. NO means it’s Never Over until you get your win.