The Sweet Smell of Rejection

It’s Friday and that means taking a day off from cold-calling potential customers and offering my awesome freelance writing services. Most business types and decision makers don’t want to be bothered on Friday, so today’s the day I look back on a week of swallowing my pride and exposing my professional soul to the movers and shakers of Indianapolis. At least that’s what it feels like.

It’s tough to check your pride at the door and spend your mornings getting flatly rejected by dozens of strangers. A variety of thoughts run through your head as you face “no” after “no” after “no.” Things like, “Why don’t they want my services, don’t they know I’m trying to make their lives easier? They won’t even hear me out.” (You’ll also think a few other thoughts that are just too childish to put in print.)

As a professional writer I’ve been rejected hundreds, if not thousands of times. From editors, producers, bosses, potential and current clients, secretaries and receptionists. I’ve even been rejected by company interns.

Nobody likes being hung up on, having a call sent to voicemail, or being escorted out of the building by security, but it happens. (Hopefully not the last example.) The key is not to dwell on it. It isn’t personal. In fact, I’m starting to like rejection.

Getting rejected stinks on ice and it can sting like a family of scorpions living inside your colon. So why do I embrace it? For starters, there’s not much else you can do. There’s no point to getting frustrated, angry or stabby. That won’t get you anywhere. Especially in the business world where everyone you talk to is a potential client. You never know where the next job might come from, so there’s no sense in burning bridges before you’ve had a chance to cross.

I hate to sound like a high school guidance counselor, but rejection does make you stronger. It forces you to learn from your mistakes, to tweak your approach and to spend more time networking.

I like things to be a little over the top, so when I get rejected I want it to be all the way. For me,it’s actually tougher when someone politely declines my services. I want them to be a jerk about it. It makes it easier to move on from it. And I like a lot of rejection. The more time you hear someone say no, the closer you are to hearing a yes. It’s the law of probability. Plus, the greater the rejection, the better it feels when you have success.

Freelancing isn’t for people with thin skin. If you can’t take rejection from a potential client, you’ll never be able to handle it when an actual client shoots down the first 10 ideas you throw at them. Especially when they’re all brilliant. Always remember that it’s the client’s project and they have the final call. It’s my job to give a client what they want, not what I think is best. I learned that lesson through rejection.

Would you like to reject my ideas? Join the party, it’s easy to do. Just hire me first. You can reach me through my website at www.writenowindy.com, or via email ChrisVan@writenowindy.com. Oh, and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter - @WriteNowIndy.