February 22nd, 2008
How Do You Handle Rejection?
A big part of sales and business is rejection. The word no, as in, I like your proposal and your product but we have decided to buy something else. Poor Hillary, she has heard no 11 times in a row and it a no the entire world sees. Think about it, you have 35 years of experience come from the best schools, married to a former President that lead one of the most success periods in history, yet no.
I heard no today and maybe yesterday. I rather hear no than maybe but the best answer is yes. He is what I shall do; I will review my notes and discover what I can learn from hearing no. Thomas Edison the famous inventor, failed in over 1000 experiments before his light filtration system worked. When asked how he could handle over 1000 failures, Edison replied, “I did not fail 1000 times; I learned 1000 ways it would not work!” Even in disappointment we must learn and move on to the next opportunity. There is a value to failure. If you make 1000 dollars each time you get a yes, but you only succeed 1 in 10 times, in theory you make 100 dollars with each no.
It is critical you can handle the rejection and disappointment of the ups and downs of business while in business. At the end of the day, “you are not judged by the number of times you fail but rather the number of times you succeed, and the amount of times you succeed is in direct proportion to the amount of times you can fail and keep trying, so keep trying!”
You may question why I rather hear no than maybe. No means, NFW, time to move on to new opportunity, Maybe often means false hope and often times at the end, NFW.
Let us know, what is your philosophy on rejection? How do you turn no into yes? Keep Hope Alive.
February 22nd, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Excellent post. Having worked in direct sales for a couple of years, the equivalent of a “maybe” was, “We’ll get back to you”. Which effectively meant, “You’ll never hear from us again.”
Anyway, you’ve summarized the essentials of “no” very nicely.
Only one thing I’d like to add - I never personally get “rejected”. I just find out whether the other person has taste or not.
It’s about perspective.
February 22nd, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Being a very successful person since a young age, I can attest to the fact that it can become extremely hard to not succeed in something you strive for. Accepting “no” is difficult, but ultimately necessary.
February 22nd, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Jim, I do exactly what you do, I try to figure where the “yes” is in the “no”. Meaning, did I learn something from the rejection? Hopefully yes, hopefully I got a lesson out of the “no”.
I was at a women’s conference last year, and I was doing my thing, meeting people, aking contacts. After giving my elevator pitch to a guy, he and I both realized my company was not ready for his services. He suggested that I talk with the lady he was sharing the booth with. She happened to be in charge of buying for all of the Target stores. Whatever possessed me to chat her up, I have no clue. But I stepped right to her-and she shot me down flat. She gave me all the reasons why I was not ready to work with Target.
I walked around the conference dazed for a few minutes, taking the chat personally. Then I thought “even in the no, I learned that what my business provides is not for everybody”. I actually changed my business plans a bit to focus more on my niche. I learned from that one conversation that the services I was providingwere spread too thin-an awful place to be as a soloprenuer.
Always ask “what can I learn from the no, what can I learn from the rejections.” Those answers are your “yes”. It’s just another way to stretch your growth and learning process.
February 22nd, 2008 at 8:23 pm
Jim, often “no” first arrives as a sort of kick in the stomach. It just doesn’t feel good. But at times it is not meant to be. You’re on a good track when you look to see how you might improve or even to see a new opportunity.
This election race has been exciting because we have diverse candidates in the lead for the first time. And they both want to make a difference. It’ll be interesting to see how Texas and Ohio turn out.
Thanks for a great blog.
February 23rd, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Styleosophy, Thaks for your comment, you have said a lot that I hope everyone reads.If we do not learn from our rejections we miss a lot and an opportunity for growth
February 23rd, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Robyn, I have heard no all my life and somehow manage to carry on, it is difficult for people new to business but we have to learn how to deal with it. As for the democratic race,Texas may go Barack in an upset and Hillary has strong Ohio support. She has done well and is good for the country. No one could have predicted what an incredible foe Barack has become. Thanks for the comment
February 23rd, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Dara, thanks for your perspective and it is very motavating.
February 23rd, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Paul, it is flattering to hear from a sales pro.Thank you for your comment. No is something we all deal with between successes
February 26th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Most people don’t like hearing NO, I know I don’t. But the way I look at it is if I am told No it just means I have to try a little harder.
If you never try anything you wont get a Yes or a No, you will get absolutely nothing!
I would rather get a No and try harder than get absolutely nothing and waste my life!
February 26th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Regina, so true so true, many people are so threaten by failure they waste their life away and wonder ” what if I” when it is too late.
March 1st, 2008 at 3:36 pm
It is all about persisting you just never know when your time might come.
March 2nd, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Soli, I agree, persistance is key, thanks
March 3rd, 2008 at 6:36 pm
I like your reason for not liking maybe. For me No is still a let down, but we can’t always have our way, now can we? Great site/blog, btw!
March 4th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
Joy, thanks for your visit and comment. In most cases, there can be no yes with out hearing no many times
March 12th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
I must admit, it is difficult to hear the word ‘no’ or get rejected, in any situation. All you can do (and it is what i do), is remind yourself that everything happens for a reason. Usually a good reason at that! I know its hard to think in this way at the time, but you should atleast try. If someone says ‘no’ to you, it is because it is not meant to be. How can you argue with that? Instead, excite yourself with the idea that an even more amazing opportunity is waiting around the corner for you. Stay positive.
March 14th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Kristina, thanks for the words of encouragement. I have moved on and more opportunity is here
March 24th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
I see rejection as a learning experience. It is a way for me to hone my skills. It points to change–change for the better.
March 24th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Jason, so true,Thanks for your comment