What does "go for no" mean in sales?

It started with Andrea's husband Richard and an $1,100 suit sale he was proud of. His district manager congratulated him by asking what the customer said no to... and Richard hadn't heard a single no all day. Andrea's question: "How did you know he was done? Like if he was buying everything and saying yes to everything, at what point did you know he was done since he had never said no to anything?" Without a no, you never find the ceiling.

How can a salesperson with no fear of rejection still be avoiding the no?

Andrea was the charmer who could sell anybody, so she figured rejection wasn't her problem. Then she caught herself quietly deciding for people what they'd never buy, and only offering the stuff she knew would get a yes. Her words: "I'm always protecting myself from the no by asking questions and making recommendations that I know will get a yes." I think that's the version most of us are running, and it feels like good selling the whole time.

What should you do right after a prospect tells you no?

A no shows up on your face in the room, and about ten seconds after you hear it, the story starts running in your head. Andrea's fix is blunt: say "cancel, cancel" in your head and keep going. Then change your state, call a customer who loves you and get back on the phone. Have a plan for the ninety seconds after a no, or it'll ride along with you for the rest of the day.

Should you ask a prospect why they said no?

Andrea borrows this one from Phil M. Jones, who wrote Exactly What to Say: "Instead of asking why, which tends to put people on the defensive, say what? Like, what made you say no?" That answer tells you if it's a never or a not right now, and a not right now is a reason to follow up. Is that chasing? Her take: "Not if you have a qualified person who needs what you have. They may not want it at this moment, but they definitely need it."

podcast ·Nov 13, 2026

What Did That Customer Say No To? | Andrea Waltz

by Drewbie Wilson

Andrea Waltz walked up to a stranger at a networking hour in San Francisco because the woman's name badge said JCPenney, vice president of human resources. Four months into a new business with zero sales. She handed her a book, and then she did the hardest part… she shut up and let the woman read it.

Key Takeaways

Andrea walked up to a JCPenney vice president of human resources at a networking hour, handed her a book and then shut up while she read it. That silence got her the client.
If a customer never says no, you have no idea when they were actually done buying. That's what Richard's district manager was getting at after his $1,100 suit sale.
A charmer with no fear of rejection can still dodge the no by pre-deciding what people won't buy.
Plan the ninety seconds after a no, before it happens. Andrea says "cancel, cancel" in her head and keeps going.
Swap why for "what made you say no?" The answer tells you if they mean never, or just not right now.
Taking a no gracefully keeps the door open for the callback three months later when their supplier falls apart.

That silence got her the client.

The whole Go for No thing started with her husband Richard and an $1,100 suit sale he was proud of. His district manager congratulated him by asking what the customer said no to. Richard hadn't heard a single no all day, which meant he had no idea when the guy was actually done buying.

Andrea's own version is sneakier, and honestly it's the one most of us are running. She was the charmer who could sell anybody, so she figured rejection wasn't her problem. Then she realized she'd been quietly deciding for people what they'd never buy, and only ever offering the stuff she knew would get a yes. Protecting herself from a no by never asking for one.

In This Episode You'll Learn

☛ Why handing someone your material and then staying quiet is harder, and better, than talking through it
☛ The question Richard's district manager asked that flipped how he sold: what did that customer say no to?
☛ How a charmer with no fear of rejection is still dodging the no, by pre-deciding what people won't buy
☛ What to do in the ninety seconds after a no so it doesn't take the rest of your day with it
☛ The "cancel, cancel" trick Andrea uses to shut down the inner voice before it spirals
☛ Why asking "what made you say no?" beats asking why, and what the answer tells you about following up
☛ How taking a no gracefully keeps the door open for the callback three months later when their supplier falls apart

Find Andrea

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/goforno/
Website: https://www.goforno.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoforNo`
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Goforno

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