Their “no” is information about their situation, not a review of your worth.

A no arrives carrying things that have nothing to do with you. A budget, a full roster, somebody’s bad week, a preference you could not possibly have known about. From where you stand it looks like a judgment on your value, because your side is the only side you can see, and that reading is understandable and almost always wrong.

When you get one, ask what it tells you about their situation before you ask what it says about you. Then find the next place to ask, because the count matters more than any single answer.