Beyond Frameworks: Why, When, and How to say ‘No’ to Product Ideas
To focus and prioritize building what matters, we must learn to say ‘no’
Creating a product involves people. And most people (e.g. customers / Stakeholders /salespeople / engineers) have views on what to build.
As a result, Product Managers face tough conversations, where they have to say ‘no’ to customers’ / stakeholders’ feature requests, while still preserving the relationship.
so I wrote a mini-series for my team on how to embrace these conversations, and now I’m sharing with you too.
- Part 1: Why and When of saying ‘no’
- Part 2: How to say ‘No’, and preserve the relationship
- Part 3: How to handle pushbacks like a Buddha
ps: I want to address the perception that saying ‘no’ is an ‘Either Or’ choice. You EITHER choose to preserve the relationship (e.g. accomodate by building a feature to satisfy a few strong voices, even if it’s not the right thing to do) OR say ‘no’ .
I believe, with the proper toolkits and skills, you can say ‘no’ constructively, and keep the relationship.
References for further learning
Books:
- The Power of a Positive No. Save the Deal, Save the Relationship — and still say no
- Crucial Conversations. Tools for Talking when Stakes are high
Articles:
