Hey! 

That first freelance rejection can hurt. But what can be worse is the 50^th, or the one that comes on a big project that you really wanted, or before a gig that you really needed. 

“No” can feel like a curse…but it’s actually one of the best things that happens to you as a freelancer. 

To take full advantage, most of us have to make a shift and reframe how we engage with “No”…so this month, we’re going to cover the reasons that rejection is so valuable to you as a freelancer…and something you can even learn to appreciate.   

“No” is the norm in freelancing

So let’s start with an uncomfortable truth. You’re going to hear a LOT of “No” as a freelancer. 

It could be a No on the phone or in an email. It could be silence, or it could just be someone not getting past the home page of your website. 

Regardless, experiencing this kind of rejection can be really disheartening and frustrating…especially if you’ve done a lot of work figuring out what you offer or if you really love what you can do for your clients. 

But No is your friend. It’s education and information, and it’s always around. 

There’s a saying in sales that it takes 8-12 “touches” (social media views, website engagements, calls, emails, etc.) for every sale, so you’ll be running across No quite a bit. 

On top of that, even the biggest “Yes” usually has weeks, if not years of “No” before it. (I’ve had clients pop up out of the blue offering work after 2 years of no response to emails). 

It’s time to make friends with No, and that’s what we’ll be talking about more over this month. 

If you want to talk about how you relate to freelance “rejection”, come join our Discord to share what you’re seeing and to learn from others in this community. See you there!

Megan (Nutmeg) 

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