When you spend a lot of time coaching frontline staff members, you spend a lot of time trying to move their prospects towards saying “yes” and their current clients towards saying “yes” again.
But the corporate trainers at eQ never neglect the “no” either.
Believe it or not, both decisions are equal in value. Maybe not monetary value but on the basis of your professional value, “yes” and “no” are both critical. Without getting to one of those answers, you’ll be trapped in what we call the “Grape Zone.” For full details on the Grape Zone, including the origin of its name which comes from a scene in "The Karate Kid," please read the article we published in SmartCEO Magazine at this link: http://www.entrequest.com/wp-content/pdf/entrequest_GrapeZone_08_03.pdf?phpMyAdmin=d2c4aa6766ft5760658.
In brief, when you’re in the Grape Zone with a prospect or client, you’re trying and trying to enroll them into a new product or service and he or she won’t say “yes” BUT he or she won’t say “no” either. And where does that leave you? On a maddening middle ground! In a grisly grey area! You don’t want to give up but you can’t seem to get them on board! It’s a pricey purgatory too. What once may have been an appropriate investment of your time, energy, and money is quickly becoming a waste of all three!
There’s a hit book that was made into a hit movie which metaphorically explains why moving on from the prospects and clients in the Grape Zone makes the most sense. Unfortunately it was exclusively targeted towards females so we apologize for the bias…
“He’s Just Not That Into You” is a comical guidebook for avoiding the dating drama of the ill-fated infatuation trap that oh-so-many desperately hopeful single women get caught in. Written by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, both of whom also wrote for the HBO sitcom “Sex and the City,” you’ll find the book in the self-help section because that’s exactly what it does – helps your self-understanding of the actual situation at hand.
Take into account a few of its chapter’s titles: He’s Just Not That Into You If He’s Not Asking You Out, He’s Just Not That Into You If He’s Not Calling You, He’s Just Not That Into You If He Doesn’t Want to Marry You, and He’s Just Not That Into You If He’s Disappeared On You.” Sure, it all sounds like common sense on the surface but because this “He” hasn’t said “no” yet then surely, as desperate hopefuls like to believe, there is a shred of a chance that “He” might actually be into you at some point! Right?! Therefore the single girl can’t stop praying, calling, texting, refreshing Facebook, thinking of all the right things to say, getting her nails done, buying new clothes, etc., etc., etc. to be fully prepared should that “He” say “yes.”
What Greg and Liz advocate their readers do is MOVE ON from the Grape Zone! The opposite of saying “yes” is not necessarily saying “no.” Oftentimes, the opposite of “yes” is inactivity and indifference from the person you’re going after. While you’re pining away over the wrong prospect who’s just not that into you (or, in business, just not into your product/service), you’re missing out on the right prospect!
Of course there will be the prospects that you must keep plugging away at and there will be the clients that you must continue to try and up-sell but most of the time, the Grape Zone must be drained of those targets that are draining you. It’s about common sense to save you cents. It’s about putting the pieces together before you fall apart.
Remember that when parting ways with those in your Grape Zone, be sure to be civil and classy because you never know if that “He” might put in a good word for you with someone else (or, in business, give you a referral). Kindly give them the opportunity to say “no” which will in its own way maintain good rapport or quite likely build an even better connection.
Then free yourself to get back in the game for opening other hearts (or, in business, CLOSING OTHER DEALS!)
Joe Mechlinski is the President of entreQuest and has partnered with countless leaders to effectively improve their team’s performance, their clients’ experience, and their company’s profits.
