Objections

11Yes Has a Number

Never, never, never, give up.

—Winston Churchill

If we were to walk down a crowded street in New York City during rush hour and ask people to sing “Mary Had a Little Lamb” while we captured it on video, we'd get a lot of nos and more than a few FUs along the way. It's just basic statistics. No matter what you are selling (or asking for), if you ask enough times, eventually you'll get a yes (Figure 11.1).

Figure 11.1 No, No, No, Yes

Yes has a number. The “Mary Had a Little Lamb” number, by the way, is 11. On average, over several experiments, it took 11 requests to get one person to sing for me.

Keeping it real, though, the same can be said of playing the lottery. The statistics reveal that if you play enough times or scratch enough tickets, you will eventually win. It's just a stupid way to get rich, which is why, statistically speaking, rich people don't play the lottery. Instead, they invest their money where the odds are more in their favor.

Probability is how ultra-high-performing sales professionals play the game of sales. They work relentlessly to bend the yes number in their favor. In sales, the formula for winning and winning big is reducing the chance of getting a no, while increasing the probability of getting a yes, without decreasing the number of times you ask.

This formula is the real secret to maximizing your income and, for organizations, ...