“No” often means “not like this” or “not yet.” Read the whole sentence before you leave.

A refusal is usually about the specific thing in front of the person, the timing, the form, the price, the amount of work it would take them. Hearing it as a verdict on you, or on the whole idea, ends a conversation that had somewhere left to go. Most people will tell you which kind of no it was if you ask.

Ask one question before you walk away. Whether there is a version of this that would work, or a better time to come back. The answer costs nothing and occasionally turns the whole thing around.