Many years ago, a real estate broker said this to me, and it has stuck ever since. I often go back to it in my mind. The logic behind it is as follows.
The best answer is customarily "yes." "Would you like to invest $100 million into my development project?" "Yes, I'd love to! Where should I send the money? I'll do that right now." This is the outcome you want.
The second-best answer is "No, I don't like you and I don't like your project." This is not what you want to hear, and it will probably sting at first, but it's the next-best answer in that it offers complete certainty. You know where the person stands, and you can move on.
The absolute worst answer is a "no" disguised as a "maybe." "I don't know. Seems interesting. We'll see. Let me talk to my partners about it and get back to you." This answer creates false hope and delays things. Whenever possible, you want to suss out and avoid delaying an inevitable "no."
It's, of course, okay to need to think about things and do due diligence when it comes to important decisions, but ultimately, the goal is to get to either a "yes" or a "no" as quickly as possible.
It's okay to just say "no." In fact, it's the second-best answer you can give to someone.
Cover photo by Ryoji Iwata on Unsplash