“Do you ever make formal proposals to change things in your company?” I asked a newly promoted young manager. 

 “All of the time,” she responded.

 “Do you ever get a refusal?”

 “Often.”

 “What do you do when you get a turndown?”

“I may modify/revise and submit another version at another time. Heck, I don’t even get warmed up until after the third turndown.”

Proposals that suggest departures from traditional routines seldom get a “Great idea.    When do you want to start?”

Influential people persist.  And if you wish to gauge the impact of persisting, observe a parental response to a four-year-old in the donut shop. Three, or six, or ten consecutive “No’s,” is sometimes followed by an “Alright, one more and that is it.”

If you believe your attempt to influence adds value, persist.  Not with belligerence, bullying, threatening or by intimidating but with confidence and optimism. Absorb the reasons for refusal, incorporate added information into revised suggestions and seek an audience at another time.

At all times, display a calm assurance when attempting to convert negative or lukewarm responses into energetic support.