How To Handle Rejection As A Business
Rejection is normal. Whether you’re an ordinary man, a student, a small business owner or a big-time CEO, you’ve surely experienced some sort of rejection in the past.
Did a girl reject your confession? Did your teacher reject your presentation? Or did a client reject your proposal? All of these scenarios spell one thing.
A big fat NO.
And it hurts.
For some people, learning to deal with rejection is very difficult. They wallow in the pit of misery and these failures cause them to fail all the way through life. Some people bounce back over a period of time while others don’t recover at all.
That’s how destructive rejection is. If not properly handled, it could lead to more failures.
But, as business owners, there’s no other way for us but to suck it all in and move on. There’s no room for wallowing in self-pity because a lot of people depend on your business. Strong minded individuals don’t get discouraged by rejection; they use it to their advantage instead.
Here are some tips on how to handle rejection in business.
Give yourself some time
Don’t deny yourself the opportunity to mourn over your failure. Give yourself enough time to process your rejection, but don’t take too long. Pick yourself up after, gather your thoughts and plan your next step of action.
One step closer
Instead of treating rejections as failures, think of them as being one step closer to your goals. For example, if it takes 10 rejections before you get a positive answer for your proposition, then every No would serve as a step towards your much-desired Yes.
This way, you don’t get defeated by rejection. Instead, you use each rejection to your advantage and as a way to determine how near you are to your goals.
Rejection is inevitable, so get over it
There will always be people who will say Yes and there will be people who will say No. Rejection is a common thing in business. Don’t let a single “No” put you down and hinder your plans.
Although rejection may cause a temporary setback, remember that all these challenges will come to pass and you have so much future ahead of you.
See Also: How Not To Give Up When Your Head Tells You to Quit
Know why
When your boss rejects your draft, ask why. When your business partner rejects your business plan, ask why. When the university rejects your application, ask why.
Only by asking and listening to the answers would you be able to know what you’re doing wrong. If you know where you went wrong, then you can have an idea on how to fix it. And don’t forget to thank them for the insights.
Analyze the problem
Why do you keep being rejected? Which part are you doing wrong? Did you listen to other’s opinion? Does the problem lie with your business, with your people or with you?
If you analyze your mistakes, you’ll be able to have a deeper understanding of how things work. You’ll know where the error lies and you’ll have the opportunity to correct them.
Learn from it
They say that smart people learn from their mistakes while geniuses learn from others. I believe that it doesn’t matter who made the mistake, as long as you learn something from it. Know where you went wrong or what you did wrong, why it is wrong and what you can do when you’re faced with a similar dilemma in the future.
Be open to making changes
The most important thing to remember is to be flexible. Sometimes, a rejection is a blessing in disguise because it allows you to improve an idea or fine-tune your business pitch. Don’t attach yourself to the answer because it will only invite negative feelings. Focus your attention instead on how to get a positive answer.
See Also: 5 Women Entrepreneurs Who Failed Before Becoming Millionaires
Rejection hurts and it affects not only our emotional status but also our overall business atmosphere. Allow yourself (and your business) some time to let go. Process the pain but don’t wallow in it for too long. Dust yourself off, figure out what to do next and move on. This highlights one of the best ways on how to handle rejection in business.
