Saying "nein". Polite but firm is the key

Many many years ago, while I was still in college (circa 1989), a 'friend of a friend' paid us a visit and despite my objections, managed to sell us an encyclopedia set for of Rs 33000, a rather biggish sum in those days. After he had pocketed the cheque, the next thing he sold me was the opportunity to sell this wonderful product to other people. I was definitely not interested in network marketing, and even less interested in listening to another sales pitch. I said I would think about it. The next day, still perplexed over how I was led so smoothly into signing a cheque for a product that I did not want to buy, I decided I had to learn how it was done.

Most of the sales training program covered the Marketing 101 basics about understanding the customer and selling a benefit rather than the product. But one part of that program that has stuck with me across all these years was the objection handling session. The trainer was a piece of work. "No prospect is going to say, 'I do not want to buy this.' Neither will they be able to bring themselves to say, 'I cannot afford this'. They will give you reasons for how they want to think about it or how they will plan their cash flows better and that perhaps they will consider it next year. And our job is to offer them a solution for their every objection," he said. "We have different payment programs..."

"If it were not a matter of the price, would you buy this product today?" they taught us to ask.
Most people were polite and said 'yes', and thereupon sat themselves at the top of a slippery slope that led to depleting their bank account.

I never did want to sell encyclopedias, but that training program offered this one great lesson, the secret to not being suckered into something you do not really wish to do.

Say "No. I do not want to do this."
Then shut up. For anything else you say can and will be used against you.