“CSM don’t like to say No.” Myth or a fact?
Saying yes is a “fast-track” solution, sometimes leading to negative repercussions. We often prefer short-term “peace” by accepting actions and obligations, which will lead to longer-term turmoil.
You probably heard about “learning to say no diplomatically,” but I want to change perspective while maintaining positive thinking.
Now, it's time to learn the art of saying yes gradually.
This approach helps manage client expectations and fosters a positive mindset. It's about more than immediately saying yes or no; it's about understanding the request, its implications, and the client's needs before responding.
In which scenario this approach will be helpful?
Customer making an unrealistic request (“Please fix this immediately” while resolution may take longer)
Question which falls outside of your scope (“Help me to engage another software vendor and explain the issue”)
Customer is unclear about their needs (“we need a new report”).
Customers are pushing you to “over-promise.” (“We trust you and your team can deliver even if timelines are tight”)
Customers are pushing you to commit on someone else’s behalf (“Let’s finalize this now, and you will handle the rest with your colleagues”)
When facing these inconvenient circumstances, there are a few practical questions to drive the customers' awareness level, mainly helping them better understand the nature and criticality of their requests.
Urgency & Timelines
The first two questions drive a stakeholder to explain the priority of their ask
--> “When you say this is urgent, can you explain why?”
--> “What is the possible impact if handled with lower priority?”
The following two questions are designed to encourage the customer to reconsider their priorities. By implying that their request can be delivered but at the expense of other activities, the CSM is effectively 'passing the ball' back to the customer, promoting a more balanced approach to managing requests.
--> “If I cannot deliver the full scope of your request, what part of it would you ask me to do?” to
--> “What other activities should we de-prioritize to meet this request?”
Scope
These questions are aimed at driving customers to clarify the challenge or use case they wish to resolve. By doing so, the CSM can better understand the scope, make an informed decision, and confidently say yes to a customer's justified need.
--> “Is this request covered in the scope of our engagement?”
--> “Can you explain how this request will solve an existing challenge or a need?”
Stakeholders
Pending customer size and product complexity, few stakeholders will be involved, both from the vendor and customer sides. This may lead to communication “gaps,” which CSM should consider before saying Yes to challenging requests.
You can ask two straightforward questions to understand which stakeholders are already involved.
--> “Did you raise this request from someone else from my team?”
There are “pushy” customers who wrongly assume you are the person who cannot say No. This is a valid question to determine if they already had a response from someone else, which they are now trying to circumvent. If the answer is Yes, you can take your time to follow up and find out with your colleague whether they made any commitment you should know about.
--> “Did you discuss these needs with your team?”
A CSM is expected to know the key stakeholders and their respective areas of responsibility. Not surprisingly, CSMs can spot gaps in understanding and collaboration between them, which can lead to misunderstandings and irrelevant or out-of-context requests. When asked gently, this question can help a CSM avoid saying yes and allow the stakeholders to verify it internally with their teams.
Next time you think about saying NO diplomatically, consider the questions above to gradually say yes or eventually say no but more confidently.
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