Can You Turn A No Into A Yes In The Fitness Industry

Can you turn a no into a yes when a decision maker in the industry tells you no? Can it happen? Yes it can because it has happened to me many times in the industry. Just because someone says no now doesn’t mean that will say no a year later and I want to share with you an experience that hopefully someone can come out of reading this story and gain inspiration to do the things that is necessary to attain success in the fitness industry.

Well over a year ago I contacted an Australian publisher of a very successful natural bodybuilding and fitness magazine. I emailed him and introduced myself and said that I would love an opportunity to shoot for a cover for his magazine. He flat out said no because his magazine is 100 percent Australian and he wants to focus on Australian athletes. I respected his response and I understood it especially when all the magazines in that particular country are all American.

Even though he responded that way I didn’t give up and so I thought to myself I am going to develop a relationship with this guy and see what happens. So I would email him from time to time and anything that I did in the industry I would forward to him via email whether it was an interview, feature, etc.

And from there we developed a relationship via the internet and email. That relationship got stronger as we shared our views on fitness and where it was going. After months of keeping in touch with him and sharing what I was doing in the industry I asked him for his phone number. I proceeded to call him of course with a calling card and really talk to him extensively over the phone which allowed me to really strengthen my relationship with this publisher of this magazine and owner of a successful nutrition company in Australia.

Over 6 months of emails and phone calls the end result was this publisher giving me that opportunity shooting for that cover, a supplement ad campaign, my own column coming out soon in that magazine and lastly he promoted me extensively as a guest at this Natural Bodybuilding and fitness show in Australia this year.

The irony of this story is he is now a very dear and close friend of mine. I have many stories similar to that but this particular story symbolizes that persistence will get you everywhere. Establishing and cultivating relationships with important decision makers is key to success in this fitness industry. Just because someone says no to you now does not mean they will say no to you in the future. I hope somebody can use this story as an inspiration to help them attain the success they desire in the industry or any industry. Anybody can turn a no into a yes in this industry as I am living proof and I’ve done it many times over the past year.

B.A, B.S, M.S.

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