Story
Feb
04
How “not” to get what you want
It was a few days before Thanksgiving and Dale, my sister-in-law, called. She asked if we had a Wegmans near by.
I said, “Yes. What do you need?” She said, “Phil loves Wegmans apple cider. Will you buy 5 gallons and bring it when you come on Thanksgiving?” Sure. So off we went to Wegmans to buy the cider. Just to be sure we got the right kind, I phoned from Wegmans to double check. She said, “Wegmans own brand, not XYZ brand.”
I said, “Ray, Dale says to get Wegman’s brand, not XYZ brand.”
Thanksgiving was lovely and Phil was thrilled with his cider.
A couple of weeks later, Ray and I were in the grocery store. Ray said, “Sally, look, they have that cider Phil likes – XYZ brand.”
I said, “Ray, you forgot the ‘not.’”
When you talk about what you don’t want, people don’t hear the “not.”
When you talk about what you don’t want, that’s what you attract. Instead, talk about what you do want.