A fast no beats a polite maybe

I've learned this by working across borders for three decades.

The Dutch will sit with you for an hour and then say:

"We're not going to waste time. You're not going to waste time. I'm not going to waste time. We will never do this."

Elsewhere the same conversation ends with "let's have lunch again" and "let's discuss again." Three months later you're still discussing and no decisions have been made.

I'll take the Dutch move every time.

A polite "maybe" costs everyone more than a fast "no".

If someone is going to reject you, the best thing they can do is reject you quickly. You get your afternoon back. They get theirs. Everyone moves on to something that might work better for them.