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This is intriguing. I don't want to reply (in b2b situations) because I feel the salesperson might try to 'use me' to get to some other key decision maker within my org. I don't want that process taking up my limited time. So, if I say no, it opens the door the more discussion, as it acknowledges I at least had some time to think about it.

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Same boat here. Since sales are a big part of my job, I occasionally read them to gauge how effective they might be (if I were the target audience). I used to reply to the more well-crafted ones with a polite “thanks, not interested” but in almost every case where I engaged, it seemed to lead to an attempt to reach someone in my org who might be interested. Now I just delete them.

Interesting. I typically hit the decision maker or their boss - so when I get a no, I know there is no one else to seek.

Some people also reply with a sterner 'no, don't reply again'. To them, I do not even reply with a 'Thanks, no problem' message since I'm scared they will mark me as spam!

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