Did you know that it took Melanie Perkins, the CEO of Canva, 100+ rejections over three years before someone actually said yes to investing in her tech idea? I can guess what would have happened to a then 19-year-old Melanie if she didn’t persist to see that first ‘yes’ response. We wouldn’t be talking about her.
I’m currently handling all the outreach for the Cats of Malta partnership campaign. Part of my duty is sending out personalized and well-researched cold call emails to companies and organisations which I think would align with the themes of the film.
During the first couple of weeks of February I sent just over forty emails using varied templates. Two weeks ago I got my first ‘no’. Last week I got my second ‘no’.
The latest ‘no’ annoyed me a bit as it seemed that the organisation didn’t give me a chance to pitch properly. But after some time to think I found acceptance and even began to feel a little relieved. Sure, I got a ‘no’ response and lost the chance to pitch to a huge company. But I prefer an honest answer to radio silence for months on end.
If you read my last blog Stuck in a Creative Holding Pattern and found yourself nodding along in agreement (and with sympathy) at how frustrating it is to wait for a response when your workload is taller than your height, you know what I am feeling right now.
But the great thing about getting a ‘no’ response is that it’s also a ‘not right now’ in reality. It doesn’t mean ‘no, never’. It means the product or partnership you are offering is not what they are looking for right now. I’ve still made contact, so I now have a connection. There is one more person who knows who I am, what I do, and what my project is about.
A ‘no’ also means that I can move on and place my energy elsewhere. Cross off that company and set my sights on those who see the value of a partnership and will give me the time – even if it’s only ten minutes to share what I have to offer. Time, after all, is a rare, invisible commodity and something you can’t get back once it’s lost.
If you're a ‘glass half full person’ or someone who likes to solve problems and try new solutions like myself, you will take this ‘no’ response and craft a way to make what you are offering more appealing to your next reader. A ‘no’ makes you reassess. And that can be exactly what you need to learn and grow.
You can’t take it personally; it is never an attack on you as a person, nor is it a reflection of your project or film. Like an audition, the actor goes in with some research behind them, but is still guessing what the casting agent wants. In my case with pitching, I go in asking what the person needs and then offering our solution and like the actor and agent I hope we align.
On top of all of this, I have also learnt that it’s okay to walk away after no response as it’s most likely your audience is not keen. Time is best left for those who give a straight ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response. If you can’t get a ‘yes’, aim for a ‘no’, not the murky waters that lay between as it’s there you will find yourself bogged down.
Persist, kindly, and go get those ‘no’ responses. Even if you get 100+ just like Melanie. All you need is one ‘yes’ in the end to make a difference.
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Written by Sarah Jayne