Hey Tony,
What worked for me was your positive no commitment and counter offer that seemed to be agreeable. It was very fair.
What did not work for me was that you seemed nervous about offending me, so it came across as unsure of yourself.

Observation about the exercise for all:

I “make up” stories about how the other person will react when I tell them no, and it does make me nervous.
Transforming the no into a positive no with a different yes seen to discharge concern.
Gamefilming or putting ourselves into the others shoes also helps to minimize fears as well. The exercise from today’s teleclass was most helpful in leading me to that observation.

Thanks, Brock