I HAVE now been a journalist for more years than there are pages in this Business Bulletin and during that time have suffered weekly, if not daily rejection.
I have had a two word rebuff from Sir Alex Ferguson (although he was just plain Alex then), I have been chased down the street by a murderer's brother and threatened with a variety of offensive weapons when knocking on doors.
I don't mind that.
I can understand there are times in people's lives when they may not wish to speak to me and don't want to be featured prominently in the press.
However it has been in my ceaseless quest to fill the pages of the Business Bulletin - or the Hot Topic page at least - that I have found rejection hard to take.
Almost without exception the people I contact have expressed an interest in taking part in this free opportunity to have their company name mentioned alongside a photograph and to let their creative juices flow. Always the optimist, I expect everyone to grab it with both hands.
But it doesn't work like that.
When I called one such interested party and told the receptionist I was a journalist she said: "He doesn't speak to journalists."
I tried to explain that he had actually expressed an interest in speaking to this particular one but she resolutely refused to put me through.
"He doesn't speak to journalists," she repeated.
As I hung up, I expressed my fears for her career prospects if she didn't mention my call, and the reason, and later that day he did indeed respond.
Then there was the alleged customer service expert who was “delighted” to take part when I contacted him.
He turned out not to be a delight as I tried to arrange a call to obtain his words of wisdom.
On deadline day - and after two weeks of emails with inane questions from him, all of which had been answered in the original email had he bothered to read it - he decided he didn't have the time.
The emails I send inviting participation have been carefully crafted to avoid any impression that they are spam.
I never mention Viagra or claim to be a bereaved member of royalty from a far-off land trying to reposition $20million.
I highlight the Chamber in the first line and "free" in the second but still I am shunned.
My follow-up email is usually more successful insofar as I receive a response, however I am staggered I always seem to send them when the recipient “has just returned from holiday and am trying to catch up” or “have a deadline to meet this week and won't manage”.
Thanks to all those with good manners and often a keen sense of humour who have filled the Hot Topic pages and to the others my appeal for 2016 is - please don't reject me.
There may be no such thing as a free lunch but there is certainly the possibility of free publicity.
Hot Topic is a fun feature - if you are not trying to find participants - and it only takes a few minutes to complete.
Please take part and better still, suggest some questions to pose in future issues.
We look forward to hearing from you, but hurry - I already have a growing list of people waiting to reject me.
- This article first appeared in the December 2015 Business Bulletin