Saying Yes Isn't Always Serving

A few years ago, I tried to sell light bulbs.

LED lamps, to be precise.

I wanted to capitalize on the sustainability and savings trend. So I traveled to China with my brother and uncle.

Before the trip, we researched online and scheduled appointments with several manufacturers. But what a factory says on its website is one thing. Seeing it with your own eyes is another.

So off we went.

"YES"

Representatives picked us up at the hotel. They took us to their factories. They showed us their products.

They were very friendly. But communication was veeery difficult.

They tried to speak English. We tried to understand. And we all performed that universal theater of smiling, nodding, and pretending the conversation was going better than it really was.

Until one day, we walked into a boardroom.

A very kind Chinese lady greeted us. Smiling. Attentive. Willing.

She laid out several samples on the table: LED strips, office bulbs, models of different sizes.

I wanted to compare price and quality. So I picked up one of the products and asked in English:

– How much does this cost?

She looked at me. Smiled. And said:

– YES.

I thought I hadn't explained myself well. So I insisted:

– The price. I need to know the price!

And she, again, with a huge smile:

– YES.

I took a breath. Pointed at the bulb. Made a face like "help me out here." And said:

– 7, 15, 20. A number. Tell me a number!

She looked at me happily. And replied:

– YES.

It wasn’t a philosophical question. I just wanted to know how much a light bulb cost.

Then I changed the question.

– What size is the chip in this model?

And she:

– YES.

That's when I started to feel my forehead get hot. My brother and uncle watched me from across the table. Quiet. Amused.

I kept trying. One minute. Two minutes. Three minutes. To all my questions, she answered the same, with a ear-to-ear smile.

Until I lost patience. I said in Spanish: "I can't talk to this woman. I give up." And I left.

She wasn't being rude

Before it sounds like this story is about making fun of her, I want to clarify: she wasn't being rude. Quite the opposite.

She was trying to be kind. She wanted to help me. She wanted not to disappoint me. She wanted me to feel like everything was okay.

The problem is, she wasn't helping me.

And there's an important lesson there for anyone who deals with customers, leads teams, or wants to sell more.

Saying yes isn't always serving. Sometimes, saying yes is the fastest way to confuse the customer.

Because customers don't just need a good attitude. They need clarity. Someone who understands the question. And an answer that helps them decide.

They need you to tell them:

• "This is a go."
• "This is a no."
• "This is a good idea."
• "I don't recommend this."
• "This path is better."
• "This other one will get you into trouble."

Remember this: serving isn't about being liked. Serving is about helping the customer make better decisions.

Why this happens in so many companies

Many companies confuse one thing with the other.

They train their teams to smile. To be friendly. To say "my pleasure." Not to contradict the customer. To promise quickly.

But they don't always prepare them to think. To know what to ask. What to promise. What not to promise. And when to guide instead of just please.

And when that happens, the customer feels something similar to what I felt in that boardroom in China. The person in front of them might be very friendly. But if they don't understand, don't guide, and don't solve, the customer gets frustrated.

And a frustrated customer doesn't think: "What a nice smile." They think: "They're not helping me."

That's one reason why many companies have teams with good attitudes, but poor results.

What to review this week

Listen to three real customer conversations. Ask yourself one thing: did the person who handled it help them decide, or just make them feel good?

If the answer is "made them feel good," the problem isn't the attitude. It's what your team knows, understands, and is allowed to say.