Episode 667
Expecting rejection changes how you pitch. When you brace for a no, you diminish your own enthusiasm, disconnect from what excites you, and present your idea in a way that makes it less compelling. You sabotage yourself before you finish speaking. Bill Gallagher argues that the fear of hearing no is the obstacle, not the pitch itself.
The solution is to notice the fear, set it aside, and shift focus to why the other person might say yes. Ask what could be a win for them, then speak to that. If the fear runs deep enough to block you consistently, it may need to be addressed through therapy or other support before you can pitch effectively.
Key takeaways
- When you expect rejection, you unconsciously present your ideas with less enthusiasm and clarity, which makes a no more likely.
- Notice your fear of hearing no, acknowledge it, then set it aside so you can focus on what the other person might want.
- Frame your pitch around what could be a win for the other person, not around avoiding rejection.
In this episode
- 00:00Introduction
- 01:08Getting more yeses makes scaling easier
- 02:36Notice the fear and speak to the yes
Read the full transcript
Introduction
00:00Bill Gallagher: Have you ever had a week when you're completely slammed, but somehow nothing actually moved? Is this one of those weeks? That's not really a time problem. It's a busyness habit problem. My new book, Busy Is Broken, Do Less, Scale More, is all about growing by doing less, not more. Read or listen to a sample chapter over at busyisbroken.com. That's busyisbroken.com. It's also on Amazon and other booksellers.
00:25Bill Gallagher: Are you thinking about how to grow your business with near and offshore staffing, but you're also wanting to make sure that it's reliable, cost effective, and really well done? I think Doxa Talent is the way to go. Here's why. They don't just fill your jobs. They bring integrity, top talent, and a people first approach that's hard to find. I've known the people at Doxa Talent for over twenty years now. And I say that you can count on them. I have. Talk to Doxa Talent and you won't be disappointed. Go to doxatalent.com/billg. Again, that's doxatalent.com/billg. One more time. Doxatalent.com/billg. Check it out today.
Getting more yeses makes scaling easier
01:08Bill Gallagher: Well, we spoke last time about the need to get more yeses. And whether you're pitching, selling, hiring, proposing, whatever it is, raising money, you need to hear yes way more often. And when you hear yes and when it's easy, life is easier, it's more enjoyable. Scaling up is a more enjoyable process. It doesn't have to suck so bad. And we want you to get better at that. So in addition to listening and thinking about what the other person wants, there is a couple other things that get in the way. Here's a big one.
01:36Bill Gallagher: When you go in worrying about no, your whole focus is off. You expect no. You actually speak in a less exciting way. If I'm expecting a no from the other person, bracing, I'm defensive, I'm worried about the no, I will actually say what I have to say, what I'm excited about, otherwise excited about, and I'll diminish it, I'll suppress it, I'll be less enthusiastic about it, I'll disconnect it. I won't say it in a way that it comes across to you as great, fun and cool in your world. I will actually sabotage the whole thing before it's even finished out of my mouth. So if you're expecting no, you need to figure out how to set that no aside and speculate on why they might say yes and speak to the yes. You have to recognize that your no, your negativity, your fear about getting a no is getting in the way of your ever getting yes. So notice the fear, acknowledge the fear, move through the fear. You have the fear, just set the fear aside and now say, okay, and why might they be interested? What could be a win for them as well as for me? And start to move back past that fear. If the fear is really deep, then maybe you need some other kind of, I don't know, something else to sort, some other kind of resourcing, some therapy, something to get you sorted out, deal with your fear before you go and try to get yes to whatever you want to propose and shoot yourself in the foot with that. So get your worries about no out of the way so that you can actually create a compelling, engaging pitch proposal to someone.
Notice the fear and speak to the yes
03:14Bill Gallagher: Hope that's helpful. We'll talk to you again next time. Keep scaling.
03:19Bill Gallagher: Are you ready to turn your goals into daily wins? You should check out our Scoreboard software powered by Align. It's the official software for Scaling Up. With Scoreboard, you'll get an AI driven coach for priorities and KPIs, and it'll help keep your team focused on what matters most. With Align, you can track your goals in real time, and you'll even see results on the go with their mobile app. You can rest easy knowing that Align has world class onboarding and support to set your team up for success. This is really more than just software. It's what I actually use to manage growth in our Scaling Up client teams. Unlock clarity and results with Scoreboard by Align. To try it now, go to aligntoday.com/billg. One more time, aligntoday.com/billg. That's aligntoday.com/billg. Check it out and try it now.
04:10Bill Gallagher: Thanks for listening today. One last thing. If anything in this episode hit home, my book digs into it further. Busy is broken. Do less. Scale more. It's all about how to stop drowning in work and build a business and a team that scales without you. Available right now with content samples at busyisbroken.com. Go grab it. Be less busy.
Bill Gallagher coaches CEOs and leadership teams on the Scaling Up framework. If something in this episode landed close to home, the free 20-question diagnostic is a good place to start.