I reached out to a supplier recently to respectfully decline their offer. In the spirit of professionalism, I provided a rationale for our decision and left the door open for future opportunities. The reply I received was predictably intense—Eric (a pseudonym) had already displayed a forceful sales approach during our initial call. He was polished and aggressive, and after our conversation, when I commended his salesmanship, he quipped, “I haven’t sold you anything yet.” This gives you a flavor of his style.

Upon reading his charged response, I reflected on how I prefer to handle such situations. I believe in not souring a potential relationship due to a single negative interaction. I maintain this stance for two key reasons:

1. Negativity offers no value and gains no ground, especially with potential partners.
2. Valuable insights often emerge from customer feedback, once the initial disappointment settles.

Lately, I’ve been leveraging ChatGPT to fine-tune...