“Not yet” and “no” are different answers. Learn to hear which one you got.

Two very different messages often get heard as one. A no closes the matter, while a not yet names a condition and leaves the door open, so treating the second as the first throws away something you were actually offered. People rarely spell out which one they mean, which makes hearing the difference a real skill.

Think about a refusal you are carrying and ask what was literally said rather than how it felt. If a condition was named, write it down and work on it. If you honestly cannot tell which answer you got, ask whether it is worth trying again later.