I have to say, I am quite pleased with the results so far of a recent "experiment". After reading about Rejection Therapy* and having similar inspiration from books such as The 4-Hour Work Week I decided to start contacting people that I normally wouldn't.
The first was for Alasdair Allan (evidently he likes to be called "Al"), the author of Learn iPhone Programming, a thorough book that tells you everything from setting up a store, to programming, to marketing. And the programming isn't just instructional: it's hands on, a-to-z coding, clearly explained, and diving into everything including sensors, etc.
I asked Al if there was anything I should remember to do before I submitted my app. He responded within a day and told me marketing was the thing most people forget.
The second was Dan Ariely, Author of Predictably Irrational and The Upside of Irrationality. His books provide extensive insights on human behavior with experiments he conducts himself or has others conduct on his behalf. He came to a conclusion on one experiment about people's rationale for their actions. I had another theory, which I e-mailed to Dan last night. He responded this morning with a rationale for his position.
All in all, I would say 100% return on time investment is quite good. The response has been quite empowering. I may have a harder time being rejected than I thought, not that I'm complaining.
* The concept with Rejection Therapy is to try to push yourself out of your comfort zone to the point you get rejected at least once a day. The person who came up with the idea actually says it's harder than you think; most of the time, it is only our fear of rejection that holds us back.
You might want to try cold call sales if you really want to experience rejection.
ReplyDeleteBeen there. Done that. I couldn't agree more.
ReplyDeleteActually, Tim Ferriss talks about that in his book, and mentions how setting up to get a certain number of calls early can get you past worrying about the response, just the quantity. Of course, if you put the effort in on each call, the numbers simply work in your favor.