• Message from Mariko Ohsato

  Global Communication: Being Persistent After a Rejection

  Making a request and being turned down… In such cases, most people would just feel discouraged and wouldn’t even consider asking a second time. However, did you know that, according to survey results, the person who turned you down isn’t as reluctant as you might think about being asked again?

  At Arc Communications, we translate about 70% of the articles published in Diamond Inc.’s “The Harvard Business Review.” Unfortunately, the article I want to talk about – an excerpt from the May 2014 issue – wasn’t translated by our team but by the magazine’s editing department. Still, it is a quite fascinating piece and I would like to share it with you.

  Daniel A. Newark, doctoral candidate at Stanford University, conducted a survey with 19 students, the “help seekers”. He had them ask two favors to 15 people on campus that they had never met before: first, filling out a survey and second, dropping off a letter at the post office.

  The help seekers guessed that at most 18% of those who refused to fill out the survey would be likely to say yes to the second favor. Yet, the results showed that 43% of those who declined the first favor actually accepted to drop off the letter. Similar results were observed when tested separately on a larger scale, with several hundred people.

  When someone turns down a favor, people tend to think it is because of that individual’s personality (unkind, etc.). However, turning down someone induces a sense of guilt, and actually makes them want to help the next time around. Nonetheless, after being refused once, many tend to concede and very few ask anything more to the same person, which Newark considers a missed opportunity.

  As many of you are aware, Global Communication takes into consideration not only language differences, but also cultural differences. With Japan’s tradition of tacit understanding, we tend to draw back after being told “no”. But based on these survey results, after having been told “no” is precisely where the biggest opportunities reside, don’t you think? (LOL)
  Plus, the fact that even Americans tend to hesitate after being turned down should relieve you of your apprehensions.

  Recently, some of you might have felt that “despite being turned down, Ohsato doesn’t give up and keeps soldiering on”. (LOL) If that is the case, I’ve been influenced by this article so please don’t hold it against me.

  Another hot summer is upon us. Please take care!

  Mariko Ohsato
  President & CEO
  Arc Communications Inc.

• Message from Mariko Ohsato

  Back Numbers

  • Global Communication: Being Persistent After a Rejection
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  • Training Teaches the “How”; Education Teaches the “Why” (Summer Greeting 2013)
  • Arc Communications Year in Review: Top 5 “Globalization” News (Winter Greeting 2012)
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  • Top 10 News Items for 2011 -- Official and Unofficial Versions (Winter Greeting 2011)
  • Communicate Locally, Market Globally (Summer Greeting 2011)
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  • Message from the President (Winter Greeting 2010)

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