In business, you might have found yourself in a situation where you want to say no to an offer, a request, or a business proposal that you received from another business. You could have even been invited to a business meeting but not have the courage to decline the invitation simply because you're lacking the right words to say, and you don't want to hurt any feelings.

In this article, we dive into how you can politely decline any request or offer in business without hurting any feelings; or burning bridges.

How do I say no in business without burning bridges?

Here, we will discuss some scenarios where you may need to say no or politely decline an offer or a request. We will also see some examples of how you can decline in each case.

1. To a job offer:

Say you just received two job offers, one at Amazon as a Logistics Manager and the other at Chevron as an Operation Supervisor. You will need to accept one and reject the other. You could decide to accept the offer from Amazon. In that case, you will have to decline the offer from Chevron. (You should do this through an email than over the phone).

RELATED: When Best to Use Email or Phone for Communication 

How do I say no to the job offer?

First of all, you should thank the hiring manager for the offer and for their time. Yes, interviewing potential candidates is part of the job, but this person has likely spent several hours reading your resume and sitting down with you for interviews. It is also possible that they took a risk to convince other people in the company.

Especially if you've spent a lot of time interviewing or if the job offer comes from a company you would consider working for in the future, it's fair and respectful not to leave a hiring manager in the dark as to why you're turning down the position.

In case there are other reasons why you are rejecting the offer (maybe you have noticed some red flags in your potential boss, or the pay scale of the other company is higher), there's also no need to go into the details of such information.

An example

Hi Lola (This is the name of the hiring manager)

Thank you so much for the offer to join your team. As we discussed over at the interview, I have admired your company for many years. However, after considering where I currently am in my career, I have decided to accept an offer at another company.

I sincerely do hope we can continue to stay in touch via LinkedIn and other networks. Again, thank you so much for your time and consideration.

James Richard

2. To a business proposal:

Say you just received a business proposal from a business entrepreneur, urging you to sign a business deal with them for some products or some services as well as some other benefits. Still, you are not just interested in signing the deal. In this case, you should simply politely decline the proposal. (This should preferably be done through email, but in some cases, it can be done over the phone).

How do I say no to a business proposal?

Start by thanking the sender for forwarding their business proposal to you. Continue by showing concern for the proposal, stating that you have carefully reviewed and examined the proposal. End the response by stating that you cannot proceed with the proposal.

You could decide to include a reason why the proposal was not accepted (only give one reason, being as brief as possible). You could also decide to not disclose why the proposal was declined. Thank the sender one last time for forwarding the proposal to you.

An example

Hi Lola

We have received your business proposal which you forwarded a few days ago. Thank you so much for considering working with us. Unfortunately, we are unable to proceed with your proposal during this time. This is because of the numerous deals which we have currently ongoing with other business brands.

You may forward your business proposal again to us later in the future when we have fewer engagements, and we will reach out to you.

Thank you for your time.

Jay’s Wears

RELATED: Writing an Effective Business Proposal to Seal the Deal

3. To a request:

This sort of situation is most common in the workplace. Your boss may request you to perform some work on his behalf. Usually, there wouldn’t be any issues with this, but some other times, you may be too occupied to take up the work. In those times, you might need to decline your boss’s request.

Depending on the nature and urgency of the work, you might do this through email, phone, or SMS (using SmartSMSSolutions. Get started now!).

How do I say no to a request from my boss?

You might start off thanking your boss for selecting you to perform the job. It shows that he trusts you enough to get the work done and done right. You may also skip this part and dive straight into it by referring to the work he requested you to do and stating why you are not available to carry out the work.

To avoid giving your boss the impression that you simply do not want to do the job, you should include an apology for not being available and promise to be available next time.

An example

Hello Sir, (not always necessary to state your boss’s name)

Thank you so much for selecting me to recover the files from the IT department and cross-reference them with the records in the Accounts Department. I am truly honored to be your first choice in your decision to delegate this task.

Unfortunately, sir, I am unavailable at the moment due to another task which I have been assigned by the Marketing Manager to sort out some issues with product descriptions. I would be unable to complete this task and also carry out your assignment in the timeframe that you require.

I apologize for this development sir and promise to be available for the next task which you may assign to me when the need arises.

Thank you for understanding sir.

Jerry

4. To a formal business invitation:

This is one of those times when you get invited to a formal business event, maybe a conference or a business tour. You may be excited about the invitation but might not have the opportunity to attend. Since you were formally invited to the meeting, you will also need to formally decline the invitation (over email to the event organizers who invited you).

How do I decline a formal business invitation?

Politely declining such invitations wouldn’t be much different from politely declining offers and requests in the other scenarios we have considered. The major difference here would be a promise to attend the next event or asking to contribute to a cause of the event.

An example

Hi True-Raiser (this is the name of the organizers of the event who invited you)

I was very excited when I received your invitation to the exclusive Annual True-Raiser Reform Conference. I am highly honored to be a part of this conference as the event stands for dignity and integrity.

Unfortunately, my previous engagements preclude me from attending this special event. I do hope my absence does not raise much concern as it is only temporary.

I would be happy to contribute to any fund which may be raised at the event in compensation for my physical absence at the event.

Thank you.

Jerry James.

5. To a business meeting:

Business meetings are very crucial not to attend. Even though there are times when you physically cannot be at the meeting, you could ask to be connected to the physical meeting virtually so that you don’t miss out on any vital information passed across during the session. (This should strictly be done via email, or over the phone when it is very urgent)

How do I decline attendance at a business meeting?

Your first goal when your boss asks or invites you to a business meeting is to show your willingness to be present at the meeting. You can then proceed to explain why you cannot be physically present at the meeting (if it is a physical meeting) or be available for the meeting completely (if it is a virtual meeting). Request any options that may be available to you for being absent.

An example

Hello Sir, (if the email is for your boss. If otherwise, mention the recipient's name)

I just received your invitation to the meeting with the company auditors scheduled for 8 am tomorrow. I have also gone through the planned agenda for the meeting and have identified some other areas of interest in addition to the agenda.

Unfortunately, sir, I would not be present for this meeting as I am currently out of town on an assignment given to me by the Managing Director a week ago. However, despite my absence, I would like to remain privy to the meeting.

I would like to request an option to attend the meeting virtually to make my contribution if the conditions permit such. In a situation where I have no access to the meeting, I may need to be briefed on the outcome of the meeting.

I do apologize for my absence from the meeting sir.

Thank you, sir.

RELATED: Languages You Shouldn’t Use in Business Communication

There are many instances where you would sincerely want to decline a request either from your colleague or from your boss in the workplace. For whatever reason you want to do so, declining such a request should be done as politely as possible so you don’t end up arousing hate among yourselves.

A sure way of declining a request politely is by SMS. You could send an SMS to either your colleague or boss declining their offer or request. Many people prefer doing this as it avoids a face-to-face contact with the other person. You can begin using SmartSMSSolutions to send your SMS now!