Dealing with Rejection

by: Anne Day

No one likes rejection, but at some point in your business, it is bound to occur – you didn't land the contract, the person didn't call you back or you didn't make the sale.

While it is hard not to take it personally, one option is to take it creatively. When you step back and review the situation, there may be some important lessons to be learned on how best to promote yourself and your services next time.

Like everything else, much depends on your attitude. When a particular defeat is a small part of your overall game plan, it's harder to view it as rejection. It's more a bump on the road and one that can be overcome by going in different direction.

The company you keep can also make a difference. People are full of opinions, and it can be dangerous to start listening to all of them. Some offer withering opinions and the mistake is to think these opinions have merit when often they are projecting their own failures onto you.

So surround yourself with your friends, they will help to bolster you when you're feeling less positive.

After her bankruptcies, Bonnie Bickel was worried that friends would think less of her, yet she found that instead her friends were proud of how she'd handled her challenges.

Be careful what you do to others and be cautious of getting into situations where you are the one who is doing the rejection. If you don't handle it well, it could come back to haunt you. Sometimes when we are uncomfortable in a confrontational situation, we rush the process and can be more abrupt than we mean to be.

One counter to rejection, is to rejection-proof yourself by acting with great generosity. In her book Soloing, Harriet Rubin suggests sending a “thank you” note to the person rejecting you, but make no comment on any future business. This way, you've been professional and no door has been closed shut.

Posted in: Starting your business, Staying Positive, Sales and Marketing