And … What has a burger got to do with it?

The technique explained below works well if you need to turn down a business proposal or if you simply need to explain to a friend you can’t make it for a drink.

Well … Let me explain! The reply should resemble a juicy, but well balanced hamburger, with just the right amount of bread, meat and extras.

The top bun includes either neutral or positive information, say:

“We’ve carefully looked at all the proposals we have received. All of them were very competitive and included all the details the RFP required.”

The “meat” is where you explain as assertively and yet friendly as you can that it’s a “no go”. Remember that there must be a balance between all the layers of  the burger. You can’t only have thick buns or – even worse – thick layers of beef. You can’t chew it like that.  Moreover, you or your reply can completely lose credibility. So, don’t supersize, avoid adding too many extras, just keep it normal – stick to the facts:

“Furthermore, we have decided that a solution suggested by a competitor meets our needs best, because their guarantee for the machinery is longer plus they offer cheaper maintenance.”

The low bun wraps up your reply, by adding a positive piece of information, which has a face-saving effect. I suggest you always include it, especially if the relationship between you and the reader matters:

“We’d like to suggest you keep us posted with your solutions in this area, so we can contact you for future projects.”

TIP: Replace “but” when switching from “the top bun” to “the meat” by however, nevertheless or a similar linking word or what’s best, just don’t use any of them.