Salutations friend and welcome to another episode of The Profit Scale! Today, we are going to talk about "What to Do When You are Faced with Rejection". Although you cannot escape it, you can learn a lot of things from it. Thus, I will share my tips on how you can manage yourself better in dealing with these situations.
Salutations, friend! Welcome back to another episode of The Profit Scale podcast. In this episode, we are going to help you figure out why your potential clients are rejecting your services. If you are having a hard time dealing with rejections from your clients right now, then this episode might be a perfect fit for you.
Here are the major topics that we are going to discuss in today's segment:
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For today’s podcast, we are going to help you figure out why your potential clients are rejecting your services.
Was there a time in your business when you felt the following?
Major TopicsÂ
Salutations friend and welcome to an episode of The Profit Scale! This is the podcast for service-based coaches, consultants and creatives looking to stop living from paycheck to paycheck, pay themselves more, and scale their business beyond the 6-figure plateau without the overwhelm of 60+ hours work weeks.Â
I’m your host and Income Strategist, RJ Connell. If you are looking to collect more coins, stop dropping coins, and grow your business sustainably, then you, my friend, are in the right place! Turn up the volume and lean in because we are about to get started!
Salutations, friend! It's RJ Connell here and today’s conversation is a good one! Today, we are going to talk about what to do when you are faced with rejection. We have all been there at one point or another, whether you have heard those infamous words from your potential clients, “I can’t afford you” or you have pitched a proposal to a company and they decided to go with someone else.
Rejection is a part of the entrepreneurial journey. Although you cannot escape it, you can learn more about what leads to a rejection, so you can start to improve your chances of getting a yes, every single time. That, my friend, is what we are going to talk about today.Â
As usual, I put together a worksheet for you to help you put today’s discussion into action, so go ahead and download the worksheet using the link in the show notes or you can head over to rjconnell.ca/8 to access the download there.Â
Let’s dive in!
Rejection is not fun. We all know it, yet it is a real and common part of life and business. If you have already achieved a certain level of success in your business, which means you have faced rejection time and time again to get to where you are today, what is it about hearing the word “no” that makes it so hard to face? Is it the embarrassment that it makes you feel when people say "no" to you? Does it make you question whether you or what you were offering good enough?
I believe it is a little bit of both and that we, as entrepreneurs, can end up playing small because of the fear of rejection. If you are currently thinking to yourself, “I do not have that problem,” you might be right. Just in case, I want you to think about the scenarios I’m going to lay out and take a couple of seconds to reflect on whether any of them apply to you. Just to clarify, when I say you, I am speaking to you as the CEO, the business owner, the representative of your company, and not you as an individual per se.
Scenario 1: You might fear rejection if you do not pitch for opportunities to showcase your expertise in a bigger way.
It could mean pitching to be the keynote speaker at a conference, or for media opportunities with your local news networks or radio stations. It could even mean you are avoiding pitching your business to receive an award or accolade out of fear that you might not be chosen for it. You might have thoughts like, “One day I will speak at The Social Media Marketing World Conference,” yet whenever they open up applications for speakers, you do not apply.Â
Maybe you have watched a news segment or listened to a radio show where an expert was being featured and you thought to yourself, “I can do a better job than this person,” yet you made no effort to be on that radio or tv show. Maybe you are holding back from pitching a partnership that would be perfect for you, your business and your clientele.
These are some red flags that fear of rejection is keeping you playing small, so I want you to think about this for a minute to see if any of these statements apply to you right now.
Scenario 2: You avoid working with clients you know you can serve, but you feel are out of your league.
This one is a little more subtle. It does not show up obviously in our businesses, but when it does, here is what it looks like.
Let’s say you are a copywriter and you are on the email list of a well-known business coach. You started following this person because you like what they do and you are looking for tips on business. However, when you get their emails weekly, you realize their typos, inconsistent language, and frequent apologies for sending out their newsletter late.
You, as an expert copywriter, take note of these things and think to yourself.
Every week you get their emails and think about all the ways you could help her solve her problem, yet you never actually offer your solutions directly to her. Friend, what is stopping you from reaching out and saying, "I can solve this problem for you?"Â
Are there currently opportunities where you have identified a problem that you could help someone, but because of their experience, notoriety, or success, you do not put yourself out there.
Friend, cut the crap and get it together! You are not only leaving coins on the table, but you are also intentionally withholding a solution that could change someone’s life or business. You are allowing your fears and struggles to prevent you from doing the exact thing that you started this business to do, which is serving the people that need you.
Now, do not get me wrong. There are levels to this, and while there may be some opportunities that you are just not ready for, that is probably the minority. There are plenty of shots you could take advantage of with the level of success you are at now, but you are willingly not pursuing.
Let’s talk about that for a second. If you are currently comfortable solely maintaining your current level of success, and you are not striving to exceed it, fear of rejection might be at play here. I’m going to help you remove it as an obstacle showing up at your highest level and claiming the opportunities that are waiting for your business.
I believe that the reasons why someone says "no" to your services or declines working with you can be boiled down into 1 of 3 categories. I am going to discuss it with you. If you have not yet downloaded the worksheet, now is the time to hit the link in the show notes or visit rjconnell.ca/8. It is going to help you follow along and put into action everything we discuss.
So, when it comes to the reason why people say no…
Category 1: Timing rejection
It means the reason they declined is that it is not the right timing for them. When dealing with potential clients, saying that “it is not the right time” can just be an excuse. Yet, there are situations where the timing is, in fact, the problem. The best way to address this category is to outline the best time to work with you.
You want to help them understand the circumstances for this to be considered the ideal time to purchase your service or to enroll in your program. You also have to recognize when is the wrong time for someone to work with you, and be willing to outline that as well. Tangibly, this means asking qualifying questions during your sales calls or implementing qualifying systems on your website, webinar, or emails to make sure that timing does not become an objection for your potential clients.
If you have the worksheet in front of you, you can see that I have outlined some examples for you with how you can implement this. Feel free to use those examples as a starting point and tailor them for your unique business.Â
Another area where timing comes into play is when you are pitching for opportunities. When pitching speaking engagements, media opportunities, and corporate contracts, there may be pre-established deadlines that you need to meet.Â
In some cases, the time of the year also plays a factor. For example, print and broadcast media tend to follow a seasonal calendar where certain topics are more favourable during certain times of the year. Likewise, sharing your expertise on budgeting could work better around Christmas time when people are spending lots of money, as opposed to pitching that story in May.Â
The best way to reduce the opportunity for a “no” and increase your opportunity for a "yes" is to do your research. Find out what the deadlines are that you have to work within and meet them.
Find out when the best timing would be to make a pitch for a particular opportunity, and prepare for it even if it means waiting a few weeks or months.
Category 2: Alignment rejection
It is the type of rejection that happens when there is a disconnect between what you are offering and what your potential client needs. This might mean that the solution you are offering is not what they need or the way you deliver your solution does not align with them.
When there is a lack of alignment between the problem and solution, it comes across to the client as though you do not understand their challenges, and you are just selling for the sake of making money. Even though your heart is in the right place, it may be true that your solution is not exactly what they need. This is where creating qualifying strategies as to who is a good fit for your program or service is going to make a big difference.Â
When your service aligns as a solution to the problems of your clients, not only is their satisfaction rate going to be higher, but you are also more likely to keep your existing clients. You may even get word of mouth recommendations, become less likely to receive refund requests, and have a lower churn or attrition rate in your business.
Another area where misalignment can occur is in your delivery, and sometimes, that means you as a person. We have all had situations where we meet people that we end up not liking. We do not always have a particular reason why we do not vibe with them, or something about them rubs us the wrong way. This same experience can happen with your potential clients.Â
Sometimes it is not even about the service you offer. Sometimes it is just that a potential client might not vibe with your personality or methodology, and that is okay. Your personality, methodology, and business are not for everyone, but you have to be okay and even happy to say "no" or receive a "no."
Getting a “no” or being rejected by people who would not have been a good fit to work with is not a bad thing. It is extremely important to make sure that the people you take on as clients are in alignment with the ideal client you want to serve. It does not mean there will not be any challenges when you are working together. It just means you are both confident that you have the right solution for their problem, and you are also the right person to deliver it in the right way.Â
To help lower your chances of running into this category, you should ask clarifying questions that help you guarantee that there is alignment. Identify what alignment means for you — who are the clientele that would make ideal clients for you, and what are some of the deal breakers that would even make you reject working with a client. Once you are clear on what those alignment factors are, you can better communicate them, and look out for them.Â
Category 3: Conviction rejection
It is arguably the most common of them all. It is when someone says no to you or your services because you have not done an adequate job of convincing them that you are the right person for the job.Â
When you get this kind of rejection, it is likely because you are not being strategic in selling yourself, or you are using the wrong strategy. There are usually 3 ways this lack of strategy shows up.
You are passively selling yourself. You are doing the minimum amount required to land a client or opportunity.Â
For example, you do the webinar, put up a sales page, and direct people to it. You list out what you are capable of doing and put it out there for anyone interested, but you do not actively engage and communicate with them to the point of the sale. Another example may be like this. You fill out the application for an opportunity and wait to be chosen rather than actively ensuring that you stand out amongst your competitors.Â
Passive selling assumes the premise that “people should want to work with you” and that all you have to do is show up and nothing else. Well, that is not how it works. Even as your business becomes more successful and you get the opportunity to work with notable clients, it is still your job to convey and convince people that they should choose you.
Passive selling is a huge pet peeve of mine. I see it all the time in physical stores nowadays. It is like there is little to no training on actual sales strategy, and how to engage a customer towards a sale. You have probably experienced this if you have ever walked into a store, and the person at the counter does not greet you. After 5-10 minutes in the store, they have not asked how they can help you. Essentially, they are waiting for you to come to them to make the sale. They are not invested at all in whether or not you purchase.Â
Speaking as a corporate sales trainer and as someone who has experience in customer service-driven companies, this is not okay. I could go on a rant about passive selling. It irks my soul to the core, but I'm going to keep it together. I could save it for another episode. For now, I will just say that the onus of a sale is on you and not on the client. You have to be actively engaged in communicating the value of your transformation or the results you offer to the point where they are confident that you are the best choice for the job.
You are selling your method instead of your solution.Â
Since we know our fields of expertise so well, we, as the experts, get lost in describing the vehicle that we are going to use to get our clients to their destination, instead of defining the destination itself. You distinctly deliver your services because it yields a particular result for your clients. That is what you have to focus on - what will change for them after working with you, and what will be different, better, easier, and less stressful after using your methodology.
As simple as it sounds, look at your sales pages, website, and description of services in your proposals or scheduling software, and notice if you are talking about your methodology, more than your solutions.
You are selling your accomplishments instead of your expertise.Â
It means you are leading or coasting on past success as the primary reason to be chosen for an opportunity to work with a client. While it is an effective strategy to showcase the works and results you delivered, you have completely missed the point if you are leading with that as the primary reason for a client to choose to work with you or for a conference to pick you as their keynote speaker.
When pitching for a client, corporate opportunity, speaking engagement or media exposure, it is not always enough to know what you have done for someone else. You still have to engage in the process of letting them know what you can do for them. Your past accomplishments should be evidence of your expertise, but it should not be your entire pitch or sales method.Â
If this is your current method for acquiring clients and you find yourself on the receiving end of conviction rejections, you have to switch up your method by clarifying what you can offer and by using experience as evidence that you can deliver what you promise. If you take the time to consider any of these categories of rejection, you can find, at least, a degree of improvement to start turning "no" into a "yes."
Let’s recap our discussion today!
First, we talked about the fact that rejection is a normal part of a business, that it is necessary to face and move past it as we seek out more success in our businesses. Then, I gave you 2 scenarios to help you identify if fear of rejection might be holding you back from showing up at your highest level and is keeping you to play small. As a result, it is also keeping your coin flow at a fraction of what it could be. Next, we discussed 3 different categories of rejection to help you identify the root cause of the “no” you might be hearing and to decrease the probability of a no and increase the likelihood of a "yes."
The 3 different categories of rejection can be found in the downloadable worksheet for this episode in the show notes and at rjconnell.ca/8. The result of applying these strategies to your business is an increase in the number of clients that want to work with, and ultimately, your coin flow.
Let’s say you have applied today’s strategies and you find yourself getting more and more yes on your opportunities. You are now at the place where you know you can afford to raise your prices, but you do not want to lose the clients that you have just put all this work into getting. Well, we are going to talk all about that in next week's episode. If you have ever considered raising your prices, in the process of doing that now, or planning to level up your pricing soon, next week’s episode is for you.
We are going to talk all about how to roll out a price increase without losing your existing clients. Friends, it is a good one! There are some ninja strategies in next week’s episode that you are going to want to make sure you are here for.
As always, friends, I would love to hear your thoughts on today’s episode, so join the conversation happening on our IG page at @rjconnellconsulting and jump into the poll or comment on the post with your thoughts on today's conversation. I cannot wait to chat with you, same time and same place next week. Until then, I wish you coins, confidence, and all the bags. Bye for now!