Actually, you might be surprised at how often a soft no means yes, in business. Of course, in one's personal life, people try not to be rude, so a soft no is often really a hard no. An athlete or doctor or lawyer who is too busy to give the salesman the time of day might be really interested but simply too busy to make time for the call. A good salesman won't give up after the first soft no. It is often the case in these situations that persistence is polite.