The 3 invisible rules that make or break your pitch, product, and progress.
Why People Say No to Your Startup (And How to Start Earning Their Yes)
Hey founder,
You’re out there grinding. You’re building something from scratch. You’re pitching investors, reaching out to customers, running demos, following up on leads, trying to get traction—hell, just trying to survive sometimes.
But no matter how much effort you pour in, you keep running into one big, frustrating wall: NO.
No reply.
No interest.
No time.
No money.
No thank you.
You follow up once. Twice. Maybe three times. Silence.
You wonder what you’re doing wrong. Is your product not good enough? Are you just bad at selling? Are you not “cut out” for this founder life?
Pause. Breathe. Let me tell you something important:
It’s not personal.
It’s not even always about you.
In most cases, when someone says no or worse, ghosts you completely—it’s simply because you violated one (or more) of The 3 Laws of YES.
Why YES Matters (and Why It’s Not About Luck)
Getting someone to say yes—to invest, to buy, to sign up, to partner—is not about manipulating them.
It’s about earning their trust and decision.
Think of a YES like a domino. When all the right pieces are aligned, it falls naturally. If it’s not falling, there’s friction somewhere. Your job as a founder is to remove that friction.
So, what are these three laws? Here’s the breakdown:
Law #1: Logic }*(“Does this make sense?”)
People crave certainty. They want things to click. If something feels vague, confusing, or disconnected, their brain goes into protection mode.
You might hear:
“This feels risky.”
“I’m not sure I get it.”
“Let me think about it.”
Or worse, nothing at all.
When people say no because of logic, they aren’t saying you’re wrong. They’re saying this doesn’t make sense… yet.
Let’s look at how founders often break this law:
Common Mistakes That Break the Law of Logic
Jargon overload: You’re too deep in the weeds. You say things like “AI-driven decision engine” or “hyper-personalized optimization layer” and forget that people just want to know: What does this do?
Too many moving parts: Your pitch includes 5 different features, 3 revenue streams, and a roadmap into 2027. That’s great but also overwhelming.
Missing the core logic chain: People need to follow the thought:
Problem → Solution → Why You → Why Now.
Unclear ask: Sometimes you have them interested, but they’re confused about what to do next.
How to Fix It
Use the “explain it to a 10-year-old” test.
Try this formula:
“For [target audience] who [have this problem], we [what you do] so they can [benefit they care about].”Make sure your deck, landing page, or sales copy answers:
Who is this for? What problem are you solving? Why now? Why you? What’s next?
If someone doesn’t say YES, go back and ask yourself:
“Did this make clear, logical sense?”
Law #2: Value (“Is this worth it?”)
People are always doing a mental tradeoff.
What do I give vs. what do I get?
If your offer feels like a bad deal—whether in time, money, effort, or risk they walk. Even if they like you. Even if they think your product is cool.
Signs You’re Breaking the Value Law
Your pricing feels too high for the outcome.
Your pitch focuses on features instead of outcomes.
You’re asking for a big commitment (time, equity, feedback, access) without a clear upside.
You haven’t anchored the cost of the problem. If they don’t feel pain, they won’t pay for the solution.
Here’s the hard truth:
If someone says “It’s too expensive,” they’re not always wrong.
They’re saying: “It’s too expensive for what I think I’m getting.”
Value is not about being cheaper. It’s about showing that the return is massively higher than the cost.
How to Fix It
Paint the ROI. Can you show that using your tool saves them 5 hours a week? Or helps them close more deals? Make it measurable.
Emphasize transformation. People don’t buy tools. They buy change. Show the before/after.
Use contrast. Instead of just saying “$500/month,” say “$500/month to save $4,000 in lost productivity.”
Create irresistible offers. Bonuses, limited windows, guarantees— all help tip the value equation in your favor.
If someone doesn’t say YES, ask:
“Did they believe this was a clear win for them?”
Law #3: Doable (“Can I even do this?”)
Even if they love your pitch…
Even if they see the value…
They still might say no if it feels like too much effort, too complicated, or too risky to act.
This is where reality kicks in.
They’re busy.
They’re tired.
They’re under pressure.
They might think:
“This looks great, but we don’t have the budget right now.”
“We already have something like this…”
“I don’t have time to figure this out.”
“I can’t sell this to my boss.”
“I’m interested, but I’ll do it later.”
Translation: It’s not doable right now.
How Founders Break This Law
You require a huge onboarding process with no help.
You’re asking them to change behavior they’re used to.
You don’t reduce perceived risk.
You’re trying to close a big deal on the first call.
How to Fix It
Break it down. Can you offer a free trial? A no-risk pilot? A single feature to start?
Make the first step stupid easy. “Try this in 5 minutes.” “Book a call.” “Reply with YES.”
Reduce friction. Handle objections before they’re voiced. Offer done-for-you setups, templates, concierge onboarding.
Ask for less at first. Instead of asking for a 1-year contract, ask for 20 minutes to show the value.
Doability isn’t just about effort. It’s about confidence. If they don’t feel they can succeed with your solution or can’t picture themselves taking the next step, they’ll hesitate.
If someone doesn’t say YES, ask:
“Was the next step easy, clear, and doable?”
A Quick Recap:
There’s no magic trick to getting a YES. But there is a method.
If you remove friction at the 3 key points—Logic, Value, and Doability—YES becomes the default.
Let’s revisit each law quickly:
Logic — Does this make sense?
→ Clear, simple, logical progression. Kill the confusion.Value — Is this worth it?
→ Highlight ROI. Paint the transformation. Show them it’s a win.Doable — Can I do this right now?
→ Make it feel easy, low-risk, and achievable.
The Founder’s Audit
Here’s what I want you to do today:
→ Pull up your pitch deck.
→ Read your latest cold email.
→ Look at your landing page.
→ Rehearse your investor pitch.
Then ask:
Where does this get fuzzy or overcomplicated? (Breaks Logic)
Where does it feel like I’m asking for a lot without proving value? (Breaks Value)
Where might someone pause and say, “This is too much right now”? (Breaks Doability)
Fix those. You’ll get more YESes. Not because your product changed, but because your message became clear.
Your Next Steps
Here’s a simple 3-step plan to put this into action:
Re-read your core messaging today (email, pitch, site).
Highlight where you violate the Laws of Yes — Confusion, poor value framing, high friction.
Rewrite it to be Logical, Valuable, and Doable.
That’s it.
No hacks.
No scripts.
Just clarity.
Earn your YES.
One Last Thought
If you’re a founder, your job isn’t just to build. It’s to sell the vision.
To customers. To investors. To your team. To the world.
And getting to YES isn’t about being persuasive—it’s about being understandable, valuable, and actionable.
Once you start thinking of YES as something you earn, not something you get lucky with, everything changes.
If this hit home for you, and you want more psychological frameworks that actually convert, just reply to this with: “Send me more.”
I’m rooting for you.
Until next time,
-Barry