I hung up the
phone with a feeling of frustration and anger. Frustration, because I had spent many months interacting with what could have been a major client, answering their questions, providing free advice, and following up every few weeks as they had requested. Anger, because they had just said “no.”
But, when I took a closer look at my reaction, I realized that the anger was self-directed. The prospect hadn’t done anything wrong—they had pursued the opportunity with me in earnest and ultimately made a business decision. It certainly wasn’t personal and I had the sense that the door was still open if I chose to revisit things in a year or so.
The truth is, I was angry with myself for letting it drag on for so long. The sting of rejection is especially keen when preceded by a long courtship. I thought back to the many conversations I’d had with my (now, former) prospect. Should I have been more aggressive? Should I have abandoned the process after the first two months of “maybe”? There were plenty of other opportunities I could have nurtured with the time and energy I spent on this one. Ultimately, I decided that I had put my best foot forward, and consoled myself with the fact that it’s impossible to predict which of our prospects will engage. We have to stay in the dialogue, prove our value, and win them over. Sometimes that takes time.
But I remain a student on this topic, so I am interested in hearing about your experiences. How long do you pursue potential clients? How do you know when it’s time to stop chasing a lead? And how do you manage the sting of rejection?
Use the comments section below to share your thoughts.
