Here is another valuable Management Tip of the Day from Harvard Business Review. To sign up for a free subscription to any/all HBR newsletters, please click here.

Coming up with ideas is easy. Selling them to strangers is hard.

Entrepreneurs and executives alike often go to great lengths to explain how their concepts are novel and profitable, only to be rejected. Avoid the same fate by steering clear of these two approaches:

The pushover. Don’t offer to change things at the slightest hint of disapproval. Caving in to criticism doesn’t demonstrate flexibility; it shows you don’t care about your idea. Instead, defend it.

The used-car salesman. Be persuasive, not unctuous. Don’t act like everyone should think your idea is great. Be realistic about what your proposal will do for your audience.

Today’s Management Tip was adapted from Harvard Business Review on Communicating Effectively.

To check out the book and learn more about maximizing your persuasive power, please click here.