What are the key concepts in *Go for No!*?

- **Five Failure Levels**: A framework showing how embracing rejection leads to mastery. - **Celebrating "No"**: Viewing rejection as feedback, not failure. - **Fear vs. Courage**: Acting despite fear to build resilience.

What is the "Five Failure Levels" framework?

This model outlines progressive attitudes toward rejection: 1. Fear of failure 2. Fear of rejection 3. Acceptance of failure 4. Pursuit of failure 5. Mastery of failure Progressing through these levels helps readers reframe setbacks as growth opportunities.

What are memorable quotes from *Go for No!*?

- **“Courage is acting in the face of fear”** emphasizes taking action despite doubts. - **“Yes is the destination, no is how you get there”** reframes rejection as necessary for success.

Go for No!

Q: What is *Go for No! Yes is the Destination, No is How You Get There* about?

*Go for No!* by Richard Fenton and Andrea Waltz is a motivational business fable following Eric Bratton, a salesman who learns to embrace rejection as a path to success. Through a fictional narrative, it teaches readers to reframe failure, increase their resilience, and overcome fear by actively seeking "no" responses to accelerate growth.

Q: How does *Go for No!* compare to other sales books?

Unlike tactical sales guides, *Go for No!* focuses on mindset over techniques. It complements classics like *The Psychology of Selling* by addressing the emotional barriers to persistence.

Yes is the Destination, No is How You Get There

Richard Fenton

4.27 (6832 Reviews)

Overview of Go for No!

Revolutionizing sales psychology, "Go for No!" flips rejection from fear to fuel. Tom Hopkins endorsed this 2008 bestseller that transformed business culture by asking: What if every "no" is actually a step toward success? Embraced by top entrepreneurs worldwide.

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Intro

Summary of Go for No!

1
The Most Dangerous Success You'll Ever Have
00:00
00:00
Picture a salesman closing three major deals before lunch-his personal best. He's calling his wife from a phone booth, practically floating with excitement. Their Hawaii vacation fund just got a $3,200 boost. Most people would call this a winning day. But what if I told you this moment of triumph was actually the beginning of his downfall? Eric Bratton thought he'd earned an early finish. Three sales meant paperwork, sure, but also time to catch the Lakers game and maybe squeeze in some golf. He'd hit 75% of his monthly quota with days to spare. Why not celebrate? Here's the uncomfortable truth: Eric's three wins were setting him up for his greatest failure. Not because he succeeded, but because he stopped. He confused progress with arrival, momentum with completion. That night, loading his golf clubs while his wife teased him about playing midweek, Eric fell asleep dreaming of birdies and eagles-not realizing he was about to learn the most counterintuitive lesson of his career. Success isn't just about winning. It's about what you do after you win.
2
When Your Future Self Shows Up Uninvited
After a fall at the golf course, Eric woke up somewhere impossible. Expensive art lined the walls. A maid called him "Mr. Bratton" and mentioned his wife was buying art in Europe. The mirror revealed a stranger with gray hair and twenty extra pounds. The calendar read March 23, 2000 - ten years in the future. In the study, Eric found three hardcover books he'd supposedly written: "Fail Your Way to Success," "One of These Days Is Now!" and "How to Have the Most Productive Year of Your Life." When he called the number on the book jacket, he reached himself. The other Eric arrived tanned, fit, and unnervingly calm. We all have a future self shaped by today's choices. The two Erics - one struggling, one thriving - represent a fork in the road. The difference? A single conversation about two letters: N and O.
3
The Revelation That Changes Everything
Over dinner, the two Erics traced when their lives diverged. Ten years earlier, both closed a big sale at Dubin's Clothing. Then Harold, the district manager, asked: "What did the customer say no to?" Eric realized he'd ended the sale at his own mental spending limit-not when the customer was done buying. Harold's insight cut deep: "The salesperson never decides when the sale is over; the customer does." Then the punch line: "You're just two letters away from greatness: N and O." Using a napkin, successful Eric drew a revelation. Most people see success and failure as opposites. The truth? Failure sits halfway between starting and succeeding-a milestone to pass through, not avoid. Most people turn back at failure, never realizing success lies straight ahead. "We've been taught to avoid failure at all costs," Eric explained. "We sugarcoat it when we should be desensitizing ourselves to failing." After Harold's lesson, one Eric transformed his approach and became a VP at CopyQuest. The other got fired two months later. Same person, same skills, different response to rejection.
Chapter 4
From Tolerating Rejection to Craving It
Flying toward Monterey in Eric's private jet, the narrator pressed harder. Could accepting rejection really create this success? Eric clarified: "Willingness to hear no got my career on track. Wantingness to fail made all the difference." Willingness means tolerating rejection. Wantingness means actively hunting for it until rejection becomes fun. Instead of setting goals for yes's, Eric sets goals for collecting no's. One of his top salespeople won both the award for most rejections and top salesperson-not coincidence, but correlation. "The most empowering word isn't 'yes' but 'NO,'" Eric insisted. "Hearing yes teaches nothing. Persisting through rejection builds character." With no-goals, success increases activity rather than triggering complacency. If Eric had aimed for sixteen no's instead of four yes's, his Monday success would have driven more calls, not fewer. "I haven't set traditional success goals in ten years," Eric revealed. "I focus solely on increasing my failure rate, trusting successes will naturally follow." Even his wife Elaine applies this in her art galleries. Setting no-goals prevents ending hot streaks prematurely-exactly what Eric did on his three-sale day when he benched himself right as momentum peaked.
Chapter 5
The Pike Syndrome and the Courage to Keep Bumping Your Nose
"What's your failure quotient?" Eric asked, citing Lincoln's defeats and Colonel Sanders' two years of rejections before KFC success. Kurt, one of Eric's top salespeople, explained how "Go for No" helped him overcome "Pike Syndrome." Pike fish separated from prey by glass repeatedly hit the barrier, then stop trying. Remove the glass, and they starve surrounded by food-conditioned to believe they can't succeed. "Eric taught me to enjoy bumping my nose," Kurt said. A consultant saved a struggling insurance company with a counterintuitive opening: "You don't want to buy any life insurance, do you?" Though 59 of 60 said no, agents could approach enough people daily to make one sale-far better than before. "Successful selling is about removing enough dirt to find gold," Cheryl explained. "The key is failing faster through more attempts rather than perfecting technique." Ninety-two percent of salespeople quit after four nos, yet 60% of customers say no four times before yes. That gap? Where most potential dies.
Chapter 6
If You're Going to Fail, Fail Big
"If you're going to fail, fail big!" Kurt advised over lunch. He explained that pursuing larger accounts yields better returns for the same effort. A salesperson with a 10% closing rate targeting clients needing twenty copiers instead of two needs only one success to equal ten smaller sales. "Rejection feels the same regardless of deal size, but the rewards for success are exponentially greater." Earlier, Eric encouraged the narrator to expand his comfort zone while flying the jet: "Courage is not the absence of fear; courage is acting in the face of fear." Rejection is inevitable whether pursuing small or large goals-if you'll face it anyway, why not attach it to goals that truly matter? The sting feels roughly the same, but potential rewards differ vastly. The real risk isn't hearing no from a big prospect-it's never asking at all.
Chapter 7
Living the Philosophy: From Dream to Destiny
When asked for leadership advice, Eric offered two transformative perspectives. First, "failing exponentially"-multiplying failure rates across organizations. If 100 salespeople each get five additional no's daily, that creates 100,000 more annual rejections without increasing costs. He referenced Thomas Edison hiring additional inventors to "fail faster" than he could alone. Eric's second principle: "Reward people for failures, not just successes." At CopyQuest, they give "Producer Pin" awards to top salespeople and "Go for No!" awards to those with the most failed attempts. Cheryl admitted the failure trophy meant more because it validated internal effort rather than external achievement. "Over time, the two award lists have become mirrors of each other," Eric noted. The narrator woke in a hospital bed four days after his fall-his experience apparently a dream. But six months later, he'd transformed his approach. Now leading in sales and on track for salesman of the year, he was most proud of leading in rejections. At La Costa Resort's seventh green, he recognized the location from his "dream." When the client mentioned moving, he confidently stated he'd buy his house one day. Leaving, he discovered the missing page from Eric's book on the floor-confirming his experience wasn't just a dream. We all stand where Eric stood that day-having won enough to feel satisfied but not enough to reach our potential. The choice isn't between success and failure. It's between stopping after good enough and pushing through rejection toward extraordinary. Yes is the destination. No is how you get there.

Key Themes in Go for No!

rejection seeking
failure quotas
overcoming sales anxiety
success momentum
fear of no

Quotes from Go for No!

Hit your quota or hit the bricks!
That's why I'm in sales!
I don't believe anything happens by accident.
The salesperson never decides when the sale is over; the customer does.
What did the customer say no to?

Characters in Go for No!

Richard FentonCo-author whose personal journey fuels the book
Eric BrattonSalesperson and protagonist of the book's parable
Elaine BrattonEric's wife
Frank WhiteEric's intimidating boss at Advanced Systems Corp
The Other Eric BrattonThe successful, future version of the protagonist

About the Author

Richard Fenton is the bestselling author of Go for No! Yes is the Destination, No is How You Get There and a renowned expert in sales psychology and resilience training. Co-written with Andrea Waltz, this business fable redefines rejection as a catalyst for growth, blending motivational storytelling with actionable strategies for overcoming fear.

A professional speaker and National Speakers Association member (Oregon Chapter’s 2010 Member of the Year), Fenton draws on decades of experience in sales and leadership to frame failure as a stepping stone to success.

His other works include the Onyx Webb supernatural thriller series and Million Dollar Year, a guide to goal-setting and productivity. Fenton’s insights have been featured on platforms like Findaway Voices and ACX, where his audiobooks have outsold eBook formats, reflecting their broad appeal.

Go for No! has garnered over 8,400 ratings on Goodreads and remains a staple in sales training programs worldwide for its counterintuitive approach to achieving goals through persistence.

Download Summary of Go for No!

Get the Go for No! summary as a free PDF or EPUB. Print it or read offline anytime.

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FAQs About This Book

Go for No! by Richard Fenton and Andrea Waltz is a motivational business fable following Eric Bratton, a salesman who learns to embrace rejection as a path to success. Through a fictional narrative, it teaches readers to reframe failure, increase their resilience, and overcome fear by actively seeking "no" responses to accelerate growth.

This book is ideal for sales professionals, entrepreneurs, and anyone facing frequent rejection. It’s particularly valuable for those seeking mindset shifts to build confidence, resilience, and persistence in career or personal goals.

Yes—the book’s concise, story-driven approach offers actionable insights on turning rejection into progress. Readers praise its practical lessons on reframing failure, making it a quick yet impactful read for sales training or personal development.

Five Failure Levels: A framework showing how embracing rejection leads to mastery.
Celebrating "No": Viewing rejection as feedback, not failure.
Fear vs. Courage: Acting despite fear to build resilience.

The book argues that seeking "no" responses reduces fear by normalizing rejection. Eric Bratton’s journey demonstrates how accumulating "nos" builds confidence and statistically increases "yes" outcomes, a strategy backed by real-world sales tactics.

This model outlines progressive attitudes toward rejection:

Fear of failure
Fear of rejection
Acceptance of failure
Pursuit of failure
Mastery of failure
Progressing through these levels helps readers reframe setbacks as growth opportunities.

“Courage is acting in the face of fear” emphasizes taking action despite doubts.
“Yes is the destination, no is how you get there” reframes rejection as necessary for success.

Unlike tactical sales guides, Go for No! focuses on mindset over techniques. It complements classics like The Psychology of Selling by addressing the emotional barriers to persistence.

Yes—the book’s lessons on resilience and growth mindset resonate in entrepreneurship, creative fields, and personal goals. For example, embracing rejection in job searches or pitching ideas.

Some readers note a narrow focus on sales scenarios, with fewer examples for non-sales contexts. Critics suggest expanding applications to broader life challenges.

In an era of rapid change and AI-driven interactions, the book’s human-centric lessons on perseverance and adaptability remain critical for navigating uncertainty in careers and innovation.

Fenton co-authored the Onyx Webb supernatural series and business titles like The Fear Factory and Million Dollar Year, blending storytelling with professional development themes.

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Go for No!

Overview of Go for No!

Summary of Go for No!

The Most Dangerous Success You'll Ever Have

When Your Future Self Shows Up Uninvited

The Revelation That Changes Everything

From Tolerating Rejection to Craving It

The Pike Syndrome and the Courage to Keep Bumping Your Nose

If You're Going to Fail, Fail Big

Living the Philosophy: From Dream to Destiny

Key Themes in Go for No!

Quotes from Go for No!

Characters in Go for No!

About the Author

Download Summary of Go for No!

Users also liked

FAQs About This Book

What is Go for No! Yes is the Destination, No is How You Get There about?

Who should read Go for No! Yes is the Destination, No is How You Get There?

Is Go for No! worth reading?

What are the key concepts in Go for No!?

How does Go for No! help overcome fear of rejection?

What is the "Five Failure Levels" framework?

What are memorable quotes from Go for No!?

How does Go for No! compare to other sales books?

Can Go for No! principles apply outside sales?

What are criticisms of Go for No!?

Why is Go for No! relevant in 2025?

What other books has Richard Fenton written?

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Explore Your Way of Learning

Quick Summary Mode

Read or listen to Go for No! Summary in 8 Minutes

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Go for No! Lessons Told Through 22-Min Stories

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Experience Go for No! in your own learning style

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Summary of Go for No!

The Most Dangerous Success You'll Ever Have

When Your Future Self Shows Up Uninvited

The Revelation That Changes Everything

From Tolerating Rejection to Craving It

The Pike Syndrome and the Courage to Keep Bumping Your Nose

If You're Going to Fail, Fail Big

Living the Philosophy: From Dream to Destiny

Users also liked

Part of a Learning Plan

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