Reasons Why People Reject Ideas

At some point in every person’s career, selling an idea or recommendation to a key decision maker leads to a rejection. And my, there are many reasons why people reject ideas.

Some of them are good, many are not.

However annoying or hurtful the rejection may be, it’s important for you to know why.

At the same time, you should always consider in advance – if not expect – why someone may reject your ideas.

For almost every reason why people reject ideas, there are several steps you can take – if not get ahead of the negativity or criticism – before you ever walk in the room.

Consider if any of these rejections might be true for your situation so you and the team can avoid a negative outcome.

Eight Common Reasons Why Ideas Are Rejected

The decision maker rejected your ideas because they …

Didn’t see the idea tied to the bottom-line result
Didn’t see the end user in your idea
Didn’t see themselves in your idea
Didn’t understand the idea
Didn’t think the idea was exciting enough
Already thought of that idea
Thought the idea was too big (or not big enough, or not ‘them,’ or frankly anything else)
Are playing politics

1) The decision maker didn’t see the idea tied to the bottomline result.

This is easily the most common reason why someone rejects a solution. For all the salesmanship, presentation skills and enthusiasm, the decision maker saw through the show business and did not see how the idea would move the proverbial needle.

You must know two things in advance: absolute clarity on the …

Business objective, even better if you get it directly from the decision maker
Business problem the decision maker (or department, or business) is trying to solve.

The second point is often the specific issue. Whatever the problem is, however simple or difficult, the idea must address it. If it doesn’t, it’s a bad idea.

Be aware that a problem isn’t necessarily catastrophic. As I said, the problem could be simple. The audience may never heard of the organisation. A different department didn’t know you were working on a particular solution. ‘Uneducated’ is usually the easist problem to solve.

But they don’t think they have any problems!

Fair enough. Why rile up a hornet’s nest?

I’d argue you’re presenting your recommendation because you want the future to be different. Something isn’t working well today. Your idea addresses why today isn’t as successful as the organisation wants to achieve its goals. If your decision maker or client doesn’t want to focus on that, well … OK. But, that doesn’t mean you and your team shouldn’t consider what that problem is and address it.

Present your brilliant idea, but keep the problem in the back of your head 1) in case they ask, or 2) in case someone else higher up or with more power asks you during the meeting.

And another thing: don’t try to solve the wrong problem.

2) The decision maker didn’t see the end user in your idea.

It’s only a good idea if your solution gets your end user to change their attitude, opinion or behaviour. That means, you need to know why they haven’t changed yet. Are they … apathetic, undecided, confused, time-poor, unwilling, etc. Each one of those emotions is a different strategy.

No, there’s no guarantee any idea will work. But, you need to get in front of the potential audience in advance.

Brainstorm with them. Encourage their suggestions on how to improve an idea. Ask questions about their opinions. Get them on camera or in photos to demonstrate you took your idea to them. If nothing else, it shows you are confident enough to put it in front of the audience for their input.

(This connection with the end user helps during the presentation of your ideas. When the decision maker pushes back and says your idea won’t work, you can explain that you worked directly with the audience who will be using the idea, and they not only helped improve the idea, they also liked the idea. Touche!)

**3) The decision maker didn’t see themselves in your idea.**

Some clients need to see their ego in your idea. They need to see their initial expectations brought to fruition.

“Expectations” is the key word. Know and understand what they expect, what they don’t want, what they won’t accept, what didn’t work last time, or even what their 15-year-old daughter thinks. You cannot convince anyone of anything different if you don’t know what they think now and why. (That’s true of the decision maker as it is with the end user.)

In some cases, the decision maker wants to be part of developing and belonging to the idea. I’ve met plenty of clients and senior decision makers who couldn’t connect with an idea from outside the organisation.

(The opposite can be true. They don’t want any connection to the recommendation, usually in case the idea doesn’t work. They won’t get blamed.)

The easy answer is get them involved with creating the idea. Even if they’re at the periphery, there’s at least a better chance they’ll understand your direction

Our decision maker should be anywhere near the brainstorm!

That’s often very true. They’re too negative. They know everything. They only remember what didn’t work last time. They will dominate every conversation so that no idea is generated.

You can tell these types of people from the moment you meet them. Sometimes it doesn’t matter if they’re impossible. Sometimes you need to have a separate brainstorm without them. Perhaps in advance so you have some ideas to work with. Maybe afterward so you can properly build on their ideas without their opinion. Whatever. Fake it. Make them feel involved..

At the very least, can you test or ‘tease’ your ideas in advance? So you get input, feedback, opinions before the official ‘sell.’

I’ve learnt this: with the possible exception of the actual idea, very little of your presentation should be a surprise to them at your meeting.

What happens if the client doesn’t want to be part of the process?

Keep them informed in a non-obtrusive way. Even if they go into black-out mode – never responding, never commenting – keep them generally informed by email.

I used to do this all the time – not be annoying, but I knew above all else the client does not want their timer wasted. In several instances, the client didn’t like the direction or concepts. The good clients responded to an email, or even better, picked up the phone. Each time we had a conversation (sometimes not so happy) about the right direction or the best idea. But, by the end of the conversation, the decision maker at least felt we were more on track, and less likely to waste valuable time and input, especially if their boss or other key figures would be in the room.

4) The decision maker didn’t understand the idea.

I’ll start with the most obvious point: the idea has to be simple. It’s like a joke. If you have to explain it, it’s not a good joke.

Some ideas are complex. Ok, but think too of the smartest person you’ve ever met. They made complexity easy for someone else to understand. That’s your job here. To make it SOUND easy. Or explainable in the least amount of words. Or – arguably the best way of all – to turn it into a story.

Test your idea on someone who’s not been part of its development. At any point, if you have to explain or add context, change the idea or change your sales pitch. Just because this “test person” doesn’t get it, does not mean you are right. What about the idea didn’t they get?

Find a story (involving key people is preferred) that shows the idea from development through completion, or through the eyes of the consumer or end user. Stories are easier to remember, more interesting to listen to, and – if it’s a good story – ‘steal-able.’ Meaning, the decision maker will use your story to sell it to someone else.

5) The client didn’t think the idea was exciting enough.

Some ideas aren’t wow. They just are. They are obvious and clear. if so, don’t over-complicate. (See previous note.)

This rejection is more specific to people who need to feel a “wow.” They need to feel an emotional connection to the idea, or the emotional connection between the organisation and its end user.

Think too how some people absorb information. People think:

Visually (through their eyes, via pictures, charts, colours, graphs that show a flow of information or tactics)
Aurally (through their ears, via detailed discussion, preferably face-to-face or video connections )
In Words (also through their eyes, but through words which are specific and exact, unlike pictures and colours which are emotive)
By getting physically involved (going to the warehouse, visiting retail outlets, scanning a website)

Each method means a different sales technique. If you don’t know which of these four to use, find a way to use all of them in your presentation so no one feels left out.

Sometimes the idea begs the situation. For example, for a new Gatorade flavour, we held the presentation in a gymnasium. To show how a construction site could be made more sustainable, we visited the home site. To sell farmers on flood insurance, we drove out to see the land and floor plain.

Do not rely upon bullet points on a slide or your intrinsic charm to make an idea come alive. Take the extra step. If nothing else, it demonstrates your enthusiasm and commitment.

6) The decision maker already thought of that idea.

In a word: Great! Who cares where the start of the idea comes from? Whether it’s the decision maker or the receptionist, take your ego out of the idea. It’s not your idea. If you can give them credit, do so geniunely.

Besides, by the time you start brainstorming, you should know everything about what the decision maker thinks. Even the most conservative person has an idea or two. The idea may not be very good, but that’s not the point. You gain three important elements by asking. You get…

A psychological idea of the tone and style of the idea they’d prefer.
The start of a tangible idea of what they think is possible to implement, including budget.
Points for acting collaborative, which also helps build trust.

7) The decision maker thought the idea was too big. Or not big enough. Or something else.

Again, the best way to address this point is have clarity on what the client wants.

If they say they want a Big Idea, what is a to them?

If they want thinking, you’d better know how they define “out of the box.”

If they say it’s not them, you’d better know the organisation’s values. (Go to their website.)

Even if they’re wrong or their definitions are oblique, you at least have direction. But, push back on any vague descriptions.

And, don’t ask for a budget. Ask for a range, and ask how flexible the budget is IF you came up with a spectacular idea.

8) The decision maker is playing politics.

I close with the hardest one. You’ll rarely know this one precisely, but you’ll likely “feel” it. Intuitively, something about the way they’ve conducted themselves will give you a clue something is up.

My best suggestion is to ask around. If your gut is telling you something, you’re missing a key piece of information. Talk to someone who may know the decision maker. Talk to someone who has presented to this person previously. Think about who else may be involved and, depending upon who they are, ask yourself what interests might these other players have in your solution or recommendation.

My final suggestion is brainstorm what you will do during the meeting if you find out that the decks were stacked against you from the start.

Should you ask if the competition is fair? Yes, in a nice but transparent way. If you find out they lied, that tells you a lot about whether you want to work with them again in the future.