Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Let's face it: Hearing “no” throughout your career can be discouraging, especially if you want the chance to prove yourself. But this is where resilience, hard work, courage and determination come into play. When I applied for a job at a small marketing firm as a recent college graduate, my eyes were set on the position of marketing coordinator. I was full of enthusiasm and ready to roll up my sleeves and throw myself into the hustle and bustle of a dynamic team when, instead of getting the marketing job, I was hired as a front desk receptionist.
This role wasn't quite what I wanted and it felt like one of my first inevitable career no's, being moved to a position I hadn't applied for, but I quickly changed perspective because I was right in the door. Taking on the receptionist role honed my vision and sense of purpose – and really showed me the importance of taking initiative, being self-sufficient and letting my work speak for itself while managing the complex dynamics of a company from the ground up.
This early experience has informed how I now guide CEOs back to their personal mission and purpose when they encounter obstacles by remaining adaptable, maintaining conviction, and keeping an end goal in mind. Here are four lessons I learned from turning a “no” into a “yes.”
Related: What is resilience and why is it critical to your success?
1. Think about the entire trip
Navigating the corporate world requires a holistic approach that takes into account the entire journey of various initiatives from inception to implementation. But it also requires thinking about yourself holistically. You won't always stay in your current role, but stay open to taking on many tasks beyond your job description to contribute to the customer journey in different ways.
I started out as a receptionist, but when that company's designer quit, I took advantage of the opportunity and offered to help design ads for an upcoming client meeting. My graphic design minor at university and my part-time job as a designer equipped me for this. Soon I was doing everything from answering phones, to making coffee, to setting up conference rooms, to presenting design ideas to CEOs of successful companies and implementing those designs. I was a receptionist fresh out of college, creating million-dollar ads, all because I was open-minded. Research and alertness to new opportunities should always be part of the larger journey.
Related: 5 Ways to Stay Ahead of Your Competition by Leaving a Lasting Impression on Your Customers
2. Experiment and package your ideas well
Today I am the leader of my own marketing team. The journey has evolved from navigating “nos” to hard work and demonstrated performance to guarantee the “yes.” A byproduct of getting to this point is experimentation—and that's not just something you can do when you have extra time or budget to spare. It's crucial to prove which ideas work best and stay ahead of the competition. Even if an experiment doesn't go as planned, it can be used to adjust your approach.
For example, despite extensive research and strategic planning underlying your proposals, the initial packaging does not reflect the depth of your work. A superficial judgment can determine the success or failure of an idea before it proves valuable. This is where the “eye test” comes in, asking you to connect statistics with intuitions and observations. With the right implementation, you can give your best strategies the platform they deserve and demonstrate your expertise in the process.
3. Listen, learn and adapt
If you initially get a “no,” remain humble, but don’t let it get you down. Even the most researched person in the room still has things they don't know. Make it a habit to listen to the experts around you and gain the knowledge of those who have more experience than you in certain areas. Collaborating with other teams takes you out of your departmental bubble and allows you to better understand the bigger picture.
Every interaction is an opportunity to learn something and strengthen your point of view. If the proposals are still in the theory stage, use your testing and research and go out and get small pieces of approval. By building relationships with people with different expertise, you spread your ideas and gain important information about how to refine them. Then when you get to the pitch, you already have people on your side.
4. Figure out how to get the “yes.”
New initiatives will only be successful if they align with a company's overarching vision so that everyone can see how they contribute to achieving company goals. After a “no” I will often dig deeper. Instead of seeing it as a sign of team failure, I ask, “What do we need to do, show, or prove to hear 'yes'?” That's when knowing how to listen is so important.
Incorporating initial test feedback into your proposals strengthens the case for each idea and provides tangible evidence of its effectiveness through experiments and customer insights. This ensures that each suggestion is well supported and clearly linked to the company's strategic direction.
Dive into the data and put yourself in the shoes of the relevant target market. Do whatever it takes to use your research, knowledge, and expertise to prove why you deserve a “yes.” It takes a little more legwork and maybe even reframing your approach, but if it helps you get past that “no,” it will solidify your credibility and experience record.
Related: 4 Steps to Help You Turn a “No” into a “Yes.”
Change your mindset
On the unpredictable path of building a career, facing rejection can feel like hitting a wall. But here’s the truth: These “no’s” aren’t obstacles; They are detours that lead us to new possibilities. So don't let something destroy your spirit if it doesn't go as planned. Embrace it. Learn from it. These setbacks can be a stepping stone to something better if you change your mindset. It’s about resilience – using those “no’s” as fuel to keep pushing forward, stronger and smarter.
Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
