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Go for No – #15 of 25 Traits of the Fearless Entrepreneur

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Percy Ross (self made millionaire that gave away millions) said
the worlds most powerful and neglected secret to success was asking.  I
believe that the reason that more people don’t discover this secret is they
fear the word NO.

In
each of my ventures, there has been a need for skills and resources.  In
my consulting projects, often I would have to ask for people to work on a
project and wait to get paid until the client would pay me.  
Likewise
in my entrepreneurial ventures, I didn’t always have funding to pay
salaries.  I have a gift of communicating my vision in a way that makes it
seem close in and attainable and that if people will just go along for the
ride, they will benefit from what is at the destination.  
That
help is priceless and in the material realm, it is worth sharing equity (or at
minimum, upside from profits) in what is being created.  Being fair about
that and recognizing also the value of having people that will not only walk
along side you, but also have your back is the most amazing part of being an
entrepreneur.
In
order to get people to help you, you need to ask.  And sometimes they will
say no.  

Most
people see rejection as a personal attack on their own being. They feel the
pain of failure and walk away from their dreams never to try again to achieve
success.
Entrepreneurs
understand rejection is only feedback and use it to fuel their future plans.

I
was asked recently how has rejection helped to shape me as an entrepreneur?

When
I first launched my radio show on BlogTalkRadio in 2009, I interviewed Andrea
Waltz and Richard Fenton, the authors of Go forNo.  The premise of their book is that
you have to get a certain number of NO answers before you will get a
YES.   In fact the tag line on the book is:

http://www.goforno.com/Yes is the Destination, No is How You Get There


I
love this concept.  They teach you to celebrate the NO answers, because it
means that you are that much closer to YES.   
There
is no product or service that meets everyone’s needs at every moment in
time.  I have learned that NO can also mean NOT RIGHT NOW.   
I’m
more patient than I was earlier in my career and I’m fine with waiting a year
and trying again.  Also, when someone says no, it may mean that they work
extra hard to find someone else for you that might say yes and actually be a
better fit for my needs.

Need
help?  Ask for it.  If you are tired of hearing no, take a break and invest $10 in yourself and read Richard and Andrea’s book. 

Did you miss the previous blogs in the fearless entrepreneurialism series?