Independent recruiters, acting as a sales force of one, are often paralyzed by their fear of rejection.  We all know the feeling, the fear that when a potential client does not sign you on as their recruiter of choice that somehow that means that it is a personal rejection and that you will never secure work again.  This feeling can stop you and put you on the road to disaster if it is not confronted.  Below are a few tips on how recruiters can overcome the fear of rejection when soliciting businesses:

1. Remember, that sales is a numbers game.  More specifically, the more rejections you get the closer you are to success.  Don’t be afraid to receive a no from someone, just understand that it is part of the process.
2. As a recruiter you must realize that just because your services are not a good fit for one business does not mean that ever business will reject you.
3. Recruiters must treat every new interaction with a potential client as just that, a new interaction.  Do not carry the baggage of your last rejection into the new opportunity.  Understand that there is a potential for success in every new client interaction.
4. Recruiters must remember that rejection is never personal, even if the person rejecting you makes personal comments.
5. Make a commitment to moving forward despite how many rejections you receive.  If you are making sales calls, set a goal of how many calls you will make that day and don’t shorten that list because of rejection.