How do you sell 'no, not now' to stakeholders?

There are three aspects to selling this well: 

1. Empathy. You have to start with acknowledging the validity of a need or ask. Folks often skip that step and go straight to rebuttal. Don't do that - you need to empathize with the stakeholder, understand where they are coming from and really ponder a possibility that their ask may be a good thing to do. This is how you build trust. 

2. Narrative of why not. Built upon the understanding of the stakeholder need above, you need to develop a crisp and compelling narrative about why not now. This usually works best when you can appeal to a more urgent business or user problem you are solving, technical considerations and so on. Important is that it needs to make clear what you are optimizing for in saying "not now" and give good reasons as to why.

3. Courage. Another common pitfall is avoiding to have a tough conversation with a disappointed stakeholder. People are used to hearing a "no" in the product context a lot. For top managers in particular, it is also really hard to distinguish when they are just expressing their one-person opinions vs giving directives. Keep that in mind, and communicate your "no" firmly and early. Don't keep promising to "look at it later" if you know you won't.

As a Product Manager, selling 'no, not now' to stakeholders involves clear communication and strategic reasoning. Transparency is key! Explain the rationale behind prioritizing other tasks or projects, focusing on data and the overall product strategy. Emphasize how current priorities align with the company's goals and customer needs. Offer an alternative timeline or roadmap for their request, demonstrating that their input is valued and considered in future planning. Being transparent about resource limitations and strategic decisions helps in maintaining trust and understanding with stakeholders.