What do you do when you encounter a no?
What do you when you encounter a no? Someone says no to you, what do you do? Do you say OK and walk away, defeated? Or, do you persist in your desire for what you want? How do you handle an objection?
Most people hear no and slink off to something else. They think, “Well, he said no so I guess I’ll go and do something else.” When actually no, at the worst, means not yet. It is no condemnation to what you want. It is a conversation starter. You get your first no, you’re getting somewhere. It is up to you to creatively and consistently persist. How will you persist? What workarounds do you have built-in? How prepared did you come? How many ideas do you have for them? How much energy do you have to employ to overcome that no? How much are you willing to stay and fight?
People with dogged persistence are rare breeds. They regularly fight for what they want. They can even turn confrontational if need be, but they shouldn’t lead with this style. Their forceful style is better served lightly at first, at 2 or 3, and then turned up on the volume dial. Most of these people will get what they want eventually if they hang in there and keep persisting. They realize that they possess that rare quality of resilience and grit, and they wear it like a badge of honor. Most of these people feel like the underdog, always having to fight harder, to work harder, to persist farther and for longer than just about anyone else. They have a chip on their shoulder that cannot be filled. It’s like they were beat up so much in middle and high school that they’re still fighting off those bullies years and years later, even if they exist as mere metaphors and bad memories now. For if they don’t fight for their families and those they love now, they wouldn’t get anything.
These people make great salesmen and terrific entrepreneurs because of these qualities and their life experiences. They’ve worked for everything, and had to persist through a lot of it to get their desired results. They believe that there is no force more unstoppable than a determined human being with dogged persistence in what he wants. Someone willing to stay and fight through a no is uncommon. Someone willing to be confrontational if need be in order to get what he wants is rare, too. Especially someone willing to take on industries and the way things have always been done, the earmark of the status quo. Upset that and you upset a lot of people. Those possessing grit and persistence don’t care who they upset. They’re just seeking and striving to make their change in their favor to persist to win. Upset people if you must. But get out there and win at all costs. That’s their mantra.
For these persistent people, it is all about forward movement. It is about pushing through the boundaries to get to what it is they desire. It is about making things happen for themselves and their goals despite what obstacles lie in their path. Their boundless determination and make-things-happen attitude are additional selling points for them, badges of honor. They acknowledge that things will rare go easily or steadily. There will be bumps in the road. The question is how do you handle them? When someone stands in your way, how do you handle him or her? At what cost are you willing to pay to accomplish what you set out to accomplish? How high are you aiming? How big are you thinking?
What do you want for others? What value are you looking to add to their lives? What problems are you trying to solve? It is these questions that begin the journey of entrepreneurship. The loftiness of these questions and the answers you pursue along the path, along with your persistence and determination, determine your outcome. This is how you know you are thinking big: people think you’re crazy. Since most people simply do not think big, those who do and express those ideas get ridiculed and mocked as nuts. Well, big ideas are nuts for awhile until they are proven and vetted. If you’re a dreamer, you should think big. People should think you’re a little crazy. It’s OK that they don’t get it or that they don’t get you. You don’t need them to support you on your way to your dream. You need the persistence and determination to see your dream manifest into reality. And that falls only on you. Persistence and determination are wonderful, solo qualities. You either have them or you don’t. No one can give them to you. They are up you to develop, to hone, and execute.
