Candid Feedback is a Beautiful Thing

I caught up with a friend of mine today and we talked about one of the things I'm working on and whether there'd be a fit for it at his company in terms of doing a commercial deal.  He told me the ways that his company typically works with others and, after some back and forth, we both determined that there really wasn't a good fit.  No more need for me to keep calling him about this topic and for him to put me off, as often occurs when people don't want to say no.  Of course, there are times when it's justified to put someone off -- maybe a strategy isn't yet clear or more time is truly needed -- but when doing a deal is unrealistic, it's best for both parties to be upfront and save time.