Don't accept a "no" from someone who doesn't have the authority to give you a "yes".

I can't claim this bit of advice either.  It was from an excerpt from the Today Show by their travel advisor.  But how many times do you find yourself trying to get something changed by the sales clerk behind the register or the customer service rep who answers the phone?  Most of the time you will get a response that they cannot change something for you, but what you need to realize is that they don't have the authority to make that change happen.  What you need to do is find out who has the authority to give you a "yes".  If not, keep asking for the next level up.  Sometimes the answer is still "no", but you will be surprised at how often you can get resolution to your problem by taking it up the chain of command.  Just the other day, I wanted to buy the promotion from Estee Lauder at Macy's but did not want to buy the fragrance that they required for purchase.  However, I was willing to buy something in their makeup line.  Macy's told me "no".  Then we went to Bloomingdales, and they had the same promotion.  I asked again, and guess what?  She let me buy TWO of the promotions with the purchase of one make up item.  So persevere and keep asking.  But also know when to accept a "no".  There will be times that you go up the ladder and the answer will still be no.  Accept it and try to learn a "life lesson" that you can share with others.