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1,009 Rejections Before Getting A Yes
The story of how Colonel Harland Sanders got his first yes, and started Kentucky Fried Chicken
Good morning! Welcome back from the long weekend (for our US readers)! Hopefully, you’re lightly sunburned, over-caffeinated, and ready to blast out “hope you had a great 4th!” emails to all of your favorite prospects. We’ve officially passed the halfway point of the year (July 2nd, if you’re into milestones). Which means it’s time to lock in, chase down those Q3 targets, and start thinking about how you’re gonna explain your pipeline to your manager in December. Now let’s get into today’s Follow Up. 😄
'Plz send the proposal’ ❓️
1,009 rejections before a ‘yes’ ✅
Oracle just closed a $30B/year deal 😬
Sales jobs & a meme 😂
Sales Tip of The Day 💡
When a prospect asks, “Can you send me a proposal?”, refrain from getting happy ears.
Before you spend hours putting one together, make sure you’re on the same page.
❌ “Sure! I’ll send it over later today.”
✅ “Happy to. Do you have 10 minutes first to make sure I’m including the right things?”
This saves you from guessing what they want, and lets them shape the proposal, which means they’re more likely to care about it (and accept it).
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Rejected 1,009 times Before Getting a Yes
Picture this. You're 62 years old, broke, and living off Social Security checks. Your brilliant business idea involves driving around the country trying to convince restaurant owners to serve your fried chicken recipe.
That was Colonel Harland Sanders in 1952.
He got rejected 1,009 times. One thousand and nine.
Most people would've given up after rejection number 50. Scratch that, most people give up after rejection number 5.
But Sanders kept going. Sleeping in his car. Cooking chicken in restaurant kitchens to prove his recipe worked. Getting laughed out of diners from Kentucky to California.
And it was all worth it, because pitch number 1,010 became a yes.
That single "yes" became the first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise. A global empire worth billions today.
For any B2B salesperson getting discouraged by a few lost deals or ghosted prospects, the Colonel's story is a reminder of what persistence can do for you.
Today, I'm breaking down the sales lessons from Sanders' 1,009 rejections and how we can use them in our own sales process.
1. Every "No" Gets You Closer to a "Yes"
Rejection is part of the game. The difference is how you frame it.
Sanders understood that each "no" wasn't a dead end. Each rejection was one step closer to a closed deal.
Studies show 60% of customers say "no" four times before saying yes.
Yet most reps give up after one or two attempts.
Sanders went through 1,009 "no's." Extreme, sure. But it proves that persistence is worth it.
That next call could be the one that lands the deal. When you're hearing "no" on repeat, remember that you're building your way to an eventual yes, one rejection at a time.
2. Persist, But Refine Your Pitch
Persistence doesn't mean pestering with the exact same approach every time.
Instead of just stubbornly repeating himself 1,009 times, Sanders refined his strategy.
When talking about his recipe wasn't convincing restaurant owners, he started cooking his chicken on the spot to let them taste it. In b2b sales terms, he gave a free demo.
Each rejection teaches you something.
Maybe your value proposition isn’t clear. Maybe you’re talking to the wrong person. Or maybe your pitch needs tweaking.
If you’re persistent but prospects aren't biting, find a new angle. Offer a trial. Share a new story. Ask different questions.
3. You Can’t Fake Belief in Your Product
Sanders could weather a thousand rejections because he genuinely believed his chicken recipe was the best thing since sliced bread.
That conviction came through in every pitch.
When you believe your product is the best and can solve their problem, prospects feel it. And that belief makes it easier to be persistent.
On the flip side, if you secretly doubt what you sell, every rejection will hit harder and tempt you to quit.
Consider this a gut check: If you were in your prospect’s shoes, would you buy what you're selling? If the answer is yes, then you’re on the right path.
4. One "Yes" Can Change Everything
After hundreds of rejections, Colonel Sanders finally got one restaurant owner to say "yes." And that one “yes” literally changed the course of history.
Once that first deal was signed, word spread and momentum followed. By 1960, just 8 years after his first franchise, Sanders had over 200 KFC restaurants. Within a few more years, it grew to 600+ franchises.
The lesson? You could be one yes away from a career-changing win.
It could be that one big deal that makes your entire year. Or a landing that dream logo customer that opens doors and gets you promoted.
Every failed cold call is practice for the one that actually works. And when it hits, the impact can be massive.
What's your record for follow ups before closing a deal? |
