I see it over and over again, people giving up, changing course before any concrete conclusion.
They work months at building their business and selling their idea, but give up because they’re let down from the lack of interest.
People pitching stop calling and emailing when those they pitch to don’t respond.
In other words, we give up too early.
I’ve tried to land a story with one journalist for the last month and a half. I sent 5+ emails and tried calling him every few days on the phone. I wanted to give up. There was no way he was interested. He would have responded if he was. But hey, he didn’t say no yet, so I sent another email. And wah-lah.
There’s two rules of thumb I try to follow when facing the decision to change course or keep going.
1) If I haven’t gotten a clear “no,” then the ball is still live. I wouldn’t have landed the pitch if I thought silence meant the ball was dead.
2) When it comes to competition, we get in the mentality that we have to stick with something forever, when, in reality, we only need to hold out longer than the other person. I have won many-a-arm-wrestle with this.
Stay Positive & It’s A Lot Less Overkill Than You Think It Will Be
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