A Client Said No — These 3 Questions Changed How I Build My Business
Rejection is part of building a business, but it’s rarely treated as a process worth examining.
Below are three questions I encourage every small business owner and entrepreneur to consider when a deal doesn’t move forward.
1. Did this client match the current capabilities or skills of my company?
Many companies submit proposals out of sheer curiosity or panic, when in reality the client or project was never a good fit.
Understanding your audience demographic data, behaviors, and motivations allows you to assess if they fit within your business value proposition.
2. While you may have sufficiently addressed the request for services, did you level up your proposal with the ‘and what?’
Sharing your direct link to the client’s mission or explaining how you can tangibly add value with a specific example can make your proposal stand out.
This is not an opportunity to restate your values on your website — this is a challenge to express how your values live in and throughout the project.
3. Ask the prospective client: Who did you select for the project?
This is not an invitation to become or copy from the company that was awarded the contract.
Understanding where your business is in the conversation can help you refine your goals and priorities.
Rejection as an Opportunity for Growth
Rejection can help clarify your goals and priorities, force you to consider if your business offering needs to change, and refine where you may want to spend your business development resources.
Every no is usually a yes for another area in business development and overall career trajectory.
Conclusion
Rejection stings because it directly attacks our ego, but it can be an opportunity for introspection and a clear invitation to keep going.
Entrepreneurs’ contribution to the U.S. economy is irrefutable, and every entrepreneur needs to push beyond the temporary rejections to continue the work that your company is uniquely positioned to do.
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