Rejection Autopsy: Proactively Seek Out Improvement
The most infuriating part of being an independent consultant can also be the source of your best growth - but you have to do it right.
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The Most Infuriating Part Of Being A Consultant
It happened again!
A prospect engaged me in a conversation about our services. Over several months, we worked with him to develop a detailed proposal tailored to his organisation’s unique situation. Then, he vanished for a few months.
He later re-appeared with a colleague to advance the discussion to the next level and create a proposal he would take to leadership — ideally with us presenting it.
Then, I got a two-sentence email explaining that they no longer have the budget and will not pursue the project.
That’s it? A three-sentence rejection without any explanation? After spending hours on calls, investing days working on the proposal, and investing even more hours preparing for the senior stakeholder pitch?
Don’t we deserve a little more than that?
Handling Rejection
There’s a lot of advice about handling rejection. A lot of it is telling you how to fe…
