Dust Your Feet and Continue Promoting
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I have spent a lot of time promoting my business as well as other people’s businesses, and throughout that time I realized something. There are a lot of mean people in the world. In fact, I would even go as far as to say that sometimes I am that mean person in the world.
There are many people who feel honored and grateful to hear about our company, but there is also a group of people who will throw F’s my way. I would say F’s and B’s, but honestly no one has ever called me the B word.
As much as there are people who say really positive things about what we do, there are also people who straight up hate us, to the point of swearing at us. And even if it is just one person who gives you a really bad experience when you try promoting your business, often that feeling, and those words that were used against you, stick with you.
That is our topic today: dealing with harsh people when you are trying to spread good by promoting your business.
The Danger of Unshaken Rejection
There is a line in the book of Matthew that absolutely applies to today’s topic.
Matthew 10:14 (NIV)
If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.
The core lesson being taught here is this: when people reject what you bring, or reject you as a person, you must shake that rejection off and keep moving.
This sounds very simple, and honestly it is. But there are some traits about rejection that only become clear when you look at this verse in its original language. More specifically, when you look at the word “shake.”
The original language of this passage is Greek, and the word used here for shake is “ek-tin-as'-so.”
This word has three outlines of biblical usage, and two of them reveal important traits of rejection that you need to understand, especially if you are going to be promoting your business, your product, or even yourself.
The first outlined trait of ek-tin-as'-so is:
to shake off so that something adhering will fall.
Not just something that is lightly sitting on you, but something that is adhering.
The word adhering is fascinating. It is not the same as just sticking to something. Adhering implies a strong bond and often suggests something that is almost “growing together.”
Rejection does not just stick to you lightly. It can bond to you strongly, and if you are not careful, it can grow with you. In this light, rejection is not just a feeling. It is like a parasite.
The second outlined trait of ek-tin-as'-so is:
to shake off for the purpose of cleansing oneself.
You would not need cleansing if what was on you was harmless. This shows us that rejection is not just uncomfortable, it is dangerous. The more you grow, the more it can grow if you keep carrying it.
That means as you continue promoting your business, rejection from long ago can quietly stifle your future promotional efforts at an increasing rate, simply because it has been left to grow.
The Cultural Practice Behind It
At the time this was taught, Jewish people had a cultural practice of dusting off their sandals when leaving a town. It symbolized that they were not carrying what belonged to that place with them.
Today, most of us do not wear sandals like that, but the principle still applies. There is an act we can do, and it is important to make it physical, because physical actions help the mind release emotional weight, especially when you need to keep promoting.
My personal recommendation is simple. You are free to choose any action that symbolizes dusting off your feet. For me, I simply dust off my hands. Whenever I face rejection while promoting my business, I dust my hands and remind myself that I am not carrying that rejection with me, so it does not affect my future promotions.
Simple Steps to Dealing With Rejection
Other than that, there are some simple and effective ways to deal with rejection quickly, so it does not latch onto you like a parasite.
1. Create a Default Response
This is very easy and very powerful. Create a default line you use when you face rejection.
Mine is simply:
“No worries, thank you so much for your time.”
Then I immediately move on.
Having a set response stops you from reacting emotionally in the moment and helps you keep momentum.
2. Build a Testimonial Defense System
Testimonials are extremely powerful, not only for potential customers but also for you as the business owner.
Many people struggle to promote their products because deep down they are not fully convinced their product is valuable. When you collect a handful of genuine testimonials, you now have proof that what you offer truly helps people. That shuts down a lot of internal doubt and allows you to promote more freely.
Testimonials also protect you when rejection comes. Many business owners, after being rejected, start to believe their product is not valuable, not helpful, or not needed. But when you have an arsenal of testimonials, rejection has less room to enter your mind. You already know your product helps people, because if it did not, those testimonials would not exist.
Do not be offended when people do not receive your message or what you are offering. When they say no, that is okay. It simply means what you have is not for them.
And that is fine.
It does not mean you must stop providing what you provide. It just means you should dust your feet and continue promoting.