How many times have we heard the old adage, not every failed venture is a failure? In business there will inevitably be failed ventures. The one example that hits home for every entrepreneur is sales.
It hurts when you’ve spent an hour with someone devising a strategy on how you can have a mutually beneficial professional relationship only to reach the end of the meeting and that person tells you no. Let’s be honest, it bruises the ego a bit when you feel like someone doesn’t see the value in your services. It’s ok to feel that hurt. It’s not ok to allow it to consume you or negatively impact any future sales pitches. In fact, it should do the exact opposite. Every no should be an opportunity to further hone your sales strategy.
Have a talk with yourself. Not the kind that could result in professional psychoanalysis later but a conversation where you actually listen to the details of the situation at hand. Ask yourself one key question after every negative outcome. This pitch failed because?
A failed venture can only be deemed a failure when you fail to see the growth opportunity in it.
Call to Action: Think back to your last failed venture/sales pitch/partnership/marketing campaign/etc. Make a list of everything that went wrong, the reasons why you think it went wrong, and a list on how you can tailor your next attempt in a way that overcomes those reasons.
