ADHD, Rejection Sensitivity and Making Sales In Your Business

Like me, many of clients are neurodiverse (or neurodiverse curious!) and one of the common themes that comes up time and time again in my coaching and mentoring with business owners is the fear of rejection and making sales.

When you're sensitive to hearing no, can take things personally when you're ghosted or when you feel like you're getting crickets with your content - the reality is it can be super hard to keep showing up consistently when you're brain is trying to protect you from feeling something negative.

As someone who has ADHD myself, I've been there! I share this with love and empathy as I know it can be really difficult to put yourself out there whether you're working with other freelancers and small businesses or with organisations and you're prospecting for work when it feels like it's way too open and scary to as for the sale.

If you've been around online for any amount of time, you'll know that the most important thing when it comes to your marketing and sales is consistency. But what this consistency actually looks like in terms of your time, the frequency and the volume of content and conversations is another matter altogether.

In business, we need to be strategic with the actions you're taking as time is precious commodity: and it's not just about short term gain here, but also for the longer term reward and goals that we have set (which can also be hard with ADHD in particular!)

Understanding this for myself after realising I have ADHD 2 years ago has been a total game changer and had a huge impact on me personally and on my business success. Like you, I have a bazillion ideas and my brain moves super quick, and I used to really struggle with hearing no or being ghosted. And no, it's not all in your head: people with ADHD actually feel intense pain around rejection (or perceived rejection) and this can manifest itself into physical symptoms which force you to put the breaks on and stop altogether.

It's about finding personal strategies and methods that work for you and your brain, and often starting small - not going hard or going home, which will be how you usually approach things.

In short, if you're experiencing fear around sales and you have ADHD, you're not alone. It is absolutely possible to run a very successful business and makes consistent sales when you are neurodiverse. It's about finding your personal roadmap and steps, which is just one of the things I support my clients with inside my coaching and mentoring.

Being conscious of what is going on for you and your brain is the first step to creating any form of change. And it's vital to be able to ask for the right help and support in your business too. I often share strategies with my neurodiverse clients that have worked for me over the years, and also shared some of my key learnings and best practices with you in the ADHD series of the Supercharge Your Business Podcast.

Please remember that Neurodiversity shows up so differently for different people so there is no one-size-fits-all approach or strategy that will work for every neurodivergent human being, but I do hope that in sharing some of what I have learned, it helps at least one person to feel more seen and understood.

You can listen to episode 63 of the Supercharge Your Business podcast here where I talk all about ADHD, Rejection Sensitivity and Making More Sales.

The delve into the importance of individual differences, shining an important light on reframes around ghosting and perfectionism, giving yourself easy wins (and more dopamine), so you can enhance your wellbeing and fulfilment to create more personal and professional growth.

Understanding Rejection Sensitivity in Sales with ADHD

As business owners, freelancers or consultants making sales is the name of the game. Without it, you don't have a business, right? Understanding how you can acknowledge and handle rejection sensitivity in your business will help you to make more sales, removing or reducing some of the intense emotions you feel when you hear "no", or “not right now” as an objection to working with you.

Psychoeducation on Rejection Sensitivity

The first step to creating any kind of change is self awareness: and coaching is super powerful for enhancing psychoeducation and finding personalised coping strategies.

It's believed that for people who experience RSD, their brains can't regulate rejection based emotions and behaviours, which then makes them more intense for you. And yes, even when you know it’s nothing to do with you at all - it can still feel hugely limiting!

As an example, if I've shared something really vulnerable or that feels vulnerable to me on social media or in an email or conversation I’ve had, I can want to run away and hide. And I’ve learnt how to give myself permission to put myself comfortably outside of my comfort zone and how to reset and regulate my nervous system.

Soothing your Nervous System

Learning how to soothe your nervous system is something that many of clients benefit from who experience RSD around sales conversations. These strategies will be personal to you and your life and is something we can explore together in coaching. To get you started, think about what relaxes you and makes you feel safe: and try not to overthink those voices in your head that say that's "childish" to enjoy. It's often the things we enjoyed most as children that have been drummed out of us as adults, that help to soothe your nervous system - as well as general wellbeing basics like sleep, good nutrition and hydration plus exercise and quality connection with other people who understand you.

I support you to learn how to take messy action so you can reach your business and personal goals much quicker, easier and more effectively so you can take advantage of the opportunities that are right in front of you and feel more energised by your business and in your life.

Episode 63 of the podcast which you can listen to here is an important reminder of the need for tailored approaches to maximise your ability to consistently grow and push yourself outside of your comfort zone without burning out, which coaching can help you to unpick, understand and create your own pathway for.

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