IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED, TRY, TRY, TRY, TRY, TRY, TRY, TRY AGAIN.

This is for anyone who has ever wanted something really bad, only to get rejected. This is for anyone who is contemplating giving up. This is the story of how to battle rejection and keep pursuing your dreams …no matter what.

“Energy and persistence conquer all things.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

From the time I graduated from E.C.U. in 1984, I always wanted to work at The Martin Agency in Richmond, Virginia. I had seen their work in “Communication Arts” and other award shows and I loved everything they did. They have since become the largest, most-awarded agency in the southeast. They are best known for their smart, humorous work for brands like Geico, Wal-Mart, JFK Library, UPS, Wrangler, Mercedes and more.

In 1988, while working in Atlanta, I finally got up the nerve to send my portfolio to The Martin Agency. After a few weeks, I was excited to see a reply letter in my mailbox. As I ripped open the envelope and began reading, my emotions quickly turned from excitement to embarrassment. It was a rejection letter, with a stinging critique of my work.

It started with a positive statement saying they’d received my book. Unfortunately, that was quickly followed with the word “unfortunately.” After that came the obligatory, “your timing isn’t great.” Then, I read words that would haunt me for quite a while:

“Your ads are a little too self-conscious in a design sense”

“I think you can do more with your craft”

“The puns are pretty awful”

Now, if you haven’t heard, creative people are some of the most insecure people on the planet. And this letter definitely didn’t help. I could have easily been crushed by it.

But, whenever a person faces rejection, they have 2 choices. We can let it deflate us. Or motivate us.

Take Edison, for example. He made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. When a reporter asked, “How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?” Edison replied, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.”

Have you ever been rejected or turned down? Did you give up after the first try? Are you going to let rejection FOOL YOU (into quitting)? Or FUEL YOU (into action)?

I took the rejection letter as a challenge. The Martin Agency has high standards. I needed to work harder to raise my game if I ever hoped to get my foot in the door there.

So, spurred by rejection, I continued to work on my book and send it to The Martin Agency whenever I could get up the nerve.

Each time I would send it, I would get a rejection letter. But each letter fueled my competitive fire. Getting hired at The Martin Agency had become my life’s mission. So, I kept trying. Year after year …for 7 years straight! I even saved the letters.

Here are just a few of the reasons Martin gave for not hiring me:

“unfortunately, I’ve blown my budget”

“we’re fully staffed”

“we recently hired three new art directors”

“we currently don’t have a position that would be suitable for you”

Had I become a stalker? Did I want a date with a very attractive ad agency and she wasn’t giving me the time of day? I kept writing her year after year, “I like you, do you like me?” She kept checking the “No” box.

And, as if the rejection letters weren’t bad enough, it was about to get worse. In 1992, I was working at Team One in LA. I remember my copywriter partner, Ron Huey, walking into my office and informing me that he had taken a job at another agency. “What agency?” I asked. “The Martin Agency,” he replied. While I was happy for him, it felt like I’d just taken a dagger to the heart. The agency I had been courting for years was now dating my best friend!

At this point, I would’ve had every right to stop my silly, futile pursuit. But, I didn’t.

After taking a 2-year stint as creative director at a small North Carolina agency in 1993, I decided to send my book up to The Martin Agency …again. My ol’ buddy, Ron, who was ACD on Mercedes, got me in the door to interview. I just knew that the stars had aligned and they would offer me the job on the spot.

But, it didn’t happen. Once again, I was told that my “timing just wasn’t right.” My romantic novel about how to court an ad agency was quickly becoming science fiction.

All was not lost, however. In 1995, Ron got me in the door to freelance at The Martin Agency on Mercedes. Afterwards, I freelanced at various agencies around the country like Rubin Postaer, Merkley and TBWA-Chiat/Day.

Little did I know that the tide was about to turn for me. It was at Chiat, in 1996, that I got the opportunity to join some brilliant people and help create some of the best work of my career. It was the kind of work that gets noticed and wins awards. The kind that magazine editors write about and people talk about at the water cooler …even the water cooler at The Martin Agency!

Almost overnight, I was no longer looked at as the dorky kid with tape on his glasses. I was suddenly transformed into a studly super-jock George Clooney look-a-like rock star with washboard abs.

The next thing I know, I’m sitting in Mike Hughes’ office. He and John Adams are offering me a full-time job …and a key to the executive toilet …and a foot massage …and a company Mercedes. Okay, maybe it wasn’t quite like that. But, it seemed like that in my mind.

I remember thinking, The Martin Agency wouldn’t go out on a date with me for 7 years …and now they want to marry me!

Just a few days after meeting with Mike and John, I received a letter from The Martin Agency. Would today be the day? Or would this just be another cruel rejection notice to be tossed in the stack with all the others? To this day, there are no words that can describe the elation I felt as I opened that envelope and read the following sentence:

“Dear John,

“I am pleased to confirm The Martin Agency’s offer of employment to you as a V.P., Associate Creative Director beginning March 17, 1997.”

In one fell swoop, all of the rejection letters seemed to melt away. Everything became crystal clear. Everything had been leading up to this moment. For once, my timing was not only right; it was aligned with the precision of the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute in Geneva.

Do I regret experiencing 7 years of rejection? 7 years of heartache? 7 years of failure? Of course not. As with Edison, it wasn’t 7 years of failure. It was simply a job application that required 7 steps.

What step are you on? Step 1? Step 2? Step 7? Let me know if this inspires you to take the next one. Or, if you have your own story of overcoming difficult obstacles, let me know.

Epilogue:

David Oakley and I opened an office of The Martin Agency together in Charlotte, NC in 1997. We ran it for 3 years, winning several clients and tons of awards. We would fly to Richmond every 3 weeks or so for meetings and presentations. During our tenure, we learned from some of the most intelligent, creative and caring people on the planet. Oakley and I took what we learned in those years and started our own agency, BooneOakley, in 2000. We’ve been in business for over 11 years. Our mission is to create an agency that people dream of working at.