Working in sales, I often am in competition with providers to deliver to my clients’ needs. Sometimes I come out on top, and sometimes I have to pull a rabbit out of a hat!
My client wanted a certain product that my competitor had. After researching it, I finally found it at an amazing price! But it was too late! My competitor was awarded the order. I knew the product was amazing and my price was very competitive. I offered it to my other clients, and even sold it to another department within the same facility as the original client.
There are always curveballs in business, and it’s important to never give up!
Some of the most famous people we know had to overcome hardship and failure before achieving success. Some examples of people who never gave up:
- J.K. Rowling, author of Harry Potter
“You might never fail on the scale I did,” Rowling said, speaking to a graduating class about her failures, not her successes. “But it is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all––in which case, you fail by default.”
Twelve publishers rejected her manuscript! What if she had stopped at the first rejection, the fifth or the tenth? The possibility of success increases each time one keeps going despite hearing no.
- Walt Disney, visionary and creator of Disney World and Mickey Mouse
“I think it’s important to have a good hard failure when you’re young. I learned a lot from that. It makes you aware of what can happen to you. Because of it, I’ve never had any fear in my entire life when we’ve been near collapse. I have never been afraid. I’ve never had the feeling I couldn’t walk out and get a job doing something.”
His first animation company went bankrupt. A news editor fired him because he lacked imagination. But he never gave up!
I didn’t give up. I knew my product was a good product––it was priced right, and it was a product my clients could use. Finally, the client that had awarded the order to my competitor came back to me the following year (after the competitor pulled a bait and switch), and I recaptured the business.
To date, I have sold approximately 3,000 of this product to various clients. So remember: Everyone encounters failure––it’s what you do with it that counts!
Author: Rita Orphanos
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