ReportWire

Tag: dealing with rejection

  • How to Use Rejection as a Tool For Success | Entrepreneur

    How to Use Rejection as a Tool For Success | Entrepreneur

    [ad_1]

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    When I was 22, I had a boss who taught me to crave rejection. At that time, I was in a sales role and had shared with her that I felt all I ever heard was the word “no.”

    The following month, she ran a competition to see who could hear “no” the most. And yes indeed, I was the victor. So much good came from that experience. I realized that rejection is a part of sales, and it’s also a part of life. I learned that highly successful people know this and aren’t miffed when they’re told no. In fact, they embrace rejection and even learn from it.

    Successful people use rejection to get stronger. However, many people don’t feel this way about rejection. If you’re struggling to feel good about being rejected, here are four steps you can take to completely rewire your brain.

    Related: 5 Ways to Turn Rejection Into Resilience

    1. Don’t take it personally

    Often, we struggle with rejection because we feel it’s personal. But rejection usually isn’t personal.

    When rejected, it’s easy to wonder what the rejection says about us. But often, rejection doesn’t say anything about us. Instead, it says something about the other person. Frequently, we ignore or discount the reasons we’re given for the rejection. Instead, we look for another reason (the real reason). Usually, another reason doesn’t exist.

    If someone says they don’t want the product or service we’re selling because they can’t afford it at that time, they usually mean it. If someone says they can’t attend the event we invited them to because they’re too busy, they usually mean it. Spending time beating ourselves up and wondering what the rejection really says about us and how likable we are is often a tremendous waste of time. When we trust the reasons we’re given for the rejection, we can move on and strike out again much faster.

    2. Get excited about being rejected

    Rejection usually doesn’t feel good. For many, that’s why it’s hard to imagine what (if any) good can (and will) come from it.

    Remember: Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional. Recognize that you have a choice in how you feel about rejection. Whatever story you tell yourself about rejection comes from you. It’s up to you to interpret the information that exists in your world. You have the power to flip the script, change the narrative and tell yourself a different story.

    You can choose to view rejection as a good thing — it means you put yourself out there, asked a tough question and exuded courage. It means you got out of your comfort zone, which always helps us grow and evolve. It means you got to practice a skill (the skill of asking, influencing or selling). That practice will help you grow thicker skin and hone your craft, making you stronger and tougher. With that in mind, you can choose to view rejection as a good thing.

    Related: How to Overcome Rejection and Move Forward With Your Big Goals

    3. Ask why — and learn from it

    Most people feel pain when rejected. When we experience any kind of pain, our first reaction is often flight or fight. We either walk away, as quickly as we can, or we double down and argue. When it comes to rejection, neither approach works well.

    Here’s what does: Engaging the person who rejected you from a place of true curiosity. Questions such as: “What was the biggest factor in your decision?” or “What, if anything, would’ve made you say yes?” or “What could I offer or do next time that would excite or interest you more?”

    These questions are great tools to help you learn from rejection. Perhaps you can give feedback to your boss that your product’s price point isn’t appealing or the benefits aren’t meeting market demand. You might learn that a slightly altered product or service would’ve garnered a yes, and perhaps you can negotiate an exception from your company that allows you to go back and offer the client what they really want.

    Every so often, there is something you could’ve done or said differently that would’ve been persuasive. Getting information about how to proceed more effectively next time is a win. With that mindset in mind, rejection is actually a good thing — it helps you improve.

    4. Know that things can change

    Remember that most things in life aren’t permanent and people’s situations can change dramatically from one year to the next (or even one month to the next). Just because someone turned you down once doesn’t mean they’ll turn you down every time.

    Ask permission to reconnect or touch base again later. Maybe your friend can’t make time to see you this month, but they’ll be able to next month. Perhaps the client you’ve been trying to sign all year will be in a different financial situation next year. Recognize now simply might not be the right time for whatever you’re proposing, and while that’s okay, it may not always be the case.

    Related: 4 Ways to Handle and Overcome Your Fear of Rejection

    5. Adjust your strategy

    After you get enough information to learn following a rejection, you get to employ what I call PDCA — plan, do, check and adjust.

    Once you’ve been rejected and know why, you can adjust your strategy. You might learn that making calls at lunch time isn’t effective because no one answers the phone. You might learn you’ve been targeting the wrong demographic and need to pick different prospects. You might learn prospecting on the weekdays isn’t as effective as prospecting on weekends.

    Rejection, if used correctly, can be an excellent teacher because it can guide us to make changes to what we do and how we do it. You might decide to start frequenting community events or join a networking group to be more successful. In the end, if being rejected causes you to do something new and different, that’s another win.

    Having a healthy, strong relationship with rejection is a true game changer. If you adopt these five philosophies on rejection, you’ll find rejection isn’t nearly as painful as it once was. You might even begin to look forward to rejection.

    [ad_2]

    Amy M Chambers

    Source link

  • 3 Ways To Overcome Rejection and Turn It Into Power | Entrepreneur

    3 Ways To Overcome Rejection and Turn It Into Power | Entrepreneur

    [ad_1]

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Throughout the journey of starting, launching and growing a business, you’ll feel like you’re on a never-ending rollercoaster of highs and lows. One day you’re jumping for joy because a big customer says yes to launching your new product in thousands of stores, and then the next day, you’ll be slammed in the face with yet another disappointment or stress-inducing challenge. And so goes life as an entrepreneur… but the good news is, you have the power to decide how to respond to every curveball life throws at you.

    So, to help you become a superhero in business, here are a few words of wisdom to live by.

    As an entrepreneur and an executive with over 20 years of experience in business, like many people, I’ve faced more rejection than I can count. From being ghosted by retail chain buyers to hearing no from customers I’ve worked hard to earn, rejection is an inevitable part of this experience. However, in moments like these, we truly find out what we’re made of.

    But, on the flip side of all these disappointments, I’ve been fortunate to experience great success and amazing opportunities in various facets of my businesses (including working with hundreds of the top brands and retailers on the globe). So I know both sides of the coin and am grateful for all the pivotal moments on my path to success.

    Related: 5 Ways to Turn Rejection Into Resilience

    I believe that we’re drawn to entrepreneurship because we have a vision of a better life — for ourselves, our families and the world around us. That said, my father was one of the men who inspired my entrepreneurship journey.

    My father was a self-made serial entrepreneur and a true example of the “American Dream.”

    As a high school dropout from New York who had to get a job shoveling snow to help his struggling family earn a living, he ultimately ran and launched multiple businesses. In his early years, he served in the military, bussed tables and became a door-to-door salesperson. Ultimately he became the Publisher of the first single-volume African-American history encyclopedia (during the Civil Rights movement) called “In Black America.” This encyclopedia helped thousands of men and women earn a living while empowering their communities and families. My father then went on to run a successful merchandising company. He most recently built Creative Balloons Manufacturing Inc., our family-operated global business celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year, helping millions of people and brands celebrate life’s special moments with fun-filled balloons.

    Over the years, he taught me many valuable lessons in entrepreneurship, especially regarding overcoming challenges and rejection.

    1. Drive, determination and mindset are paramount to what we know

    Since my father never had a formal education, he realized at an early age that he’d have to be more resourceful and hard-working than most, so he became street-smart and ultimately learned what it takes to start and run a global business, one that has proudly been a national supplier to major chains like McDonald’s for over 45 years.

    Don’t let your education or lack thereof prevent you from feeling worthy or deserving of pursuing your passions and becoming successful. Always remember — if all else fails, just Google it (or, for that matter, just read an article by Entrepreneur). Where there’s a will, there’s a way. And as Marie Forleo says, “Everything is figureoutable.”

    Related: 5 Steps Entrepreneurs Need to Take to Overcome the Fear of Rejection

    2. Persistence and resilience are absolutely imperative if we want to make anything happen in life

    As a kid, I vividly remember hearing my father on the phone calling one potential customer after the next, which ultimately helped him land many national accounts (including Burger King, Carl’s Jr., Mrs. Field’s Cookies and more). Whether we dream of developing a prototype for an innovative new product, landing a major client or changing the world with our revolutionary products or services, we have to believe in the purpose behind what we’re doing. Keep waking up each day to reach your goals and win. Even A-list athletes have bad days and losses, so keep striving, working hard and believing you’re a winner. You have to envision success first to achieve it.

    Related: Rejection Is Part of Entrepreneurship. Here’s How to Handle It.

    3. Boldly pursue your dreams, no matter how big or wild they may seem

    Want to land that big chain? Go pitch them! Looking to score a key investor? Send them a presentation deck. While you might not get a positive response from everyone you contact, all it takes is one “Yes” to open the door, leading you toward the next open door. And while you’re hearing no’s, do your best to find out why — was it the wrong timing, do you need to tweak something in your pitch, etc. Look at rejection as a form of redirection or recalibration.

    Just remember that Bill Gates pitched to 1200 investors, out of which 11 said yes. Because of the few who aligned with his vision, he’s now one of the world’s most influential and successful people. So, even if you’re rejected, you can still skyrocket to success.

    Bottom line: Never be afraid of rejection. Yes, you will hear a no, or worse, you’ll get ignored, but unless you try, you’ll always wonder, “What if?!”. And more importantly, you’ll never hear a yes unless you’re willing to ask for what you want.

    [ad_2]

    Christina-Lauren Pollack

    Source link