[mattculbreth]

There's a good sales methodology (the Sandler system) which espouses pushing the "closing" stage nearer to the beginning of the process. Essentially, you're looking to end the sales cycle of deals which for whatever reason aren't going to work out. I like this blog post because it's roughly analogous. If you actually hear a "no" from a VC, consider yourself lucky that you aren't chasing a deal which won't ever close.