What I'm about to say is going to sound crazy and totally wrong if you don't actually go out and hit on girls on a regular basis. This debate is not geared towards the guy who still hasn’t done a single approach or gets massive approach anxiety when trying to talk to girls, this is for someone who can routinely go out and has no problems talking to girls, but runs into constant rejection via the boyfriend line.

Typically, unless something is really off about your initial appearance or you come across as a complete dick, 95% of girls will not tell you to go away or throw their drink in your face, they’ll tell you that they have a boyfriend.

In my opinion, this is where so many guys screw up. The vast majority of guys will stop talking to the girl right there and leave the interaction. A small minority will try to use some lame line like “Oh really? I have a goldfish” or “Great, I can be your side boyfriend” or “Whoa whoa whoa, I just met you and you’re already telling me your problems?” and then try to ask for her number right away, making her uncomfortable by applying too much pressure.

What you should be doing is demonstrate social aptitude by acknowledging it and saying something like “Well he’s a very lucky guy, make sure to tell him the next time you see him” or “That honestly doesn’t surprise me at all, you seem like a very [warm/kind/funny/intelligent/genuine] person”

And after that, just ignore the fact that she says she has a boyfriend and keep going. Keep introducing conversation topics one after another by making educated guesses about where she works, what her dreams and passions are, and what she’s about to do right now. The goal is to have an emotionally charged conversation on a topic that both of you “click” on and have an interest in. Guys need to stop letting the boyfriend line destroy the entire interaction and instead keep going until the conversation takes off.

Feel free to voice your own opinion if you’d like, but this has been demonstrated through my own personal experience to be the best way to overcome the boyfriend rejection you’ll hear every day if you approach girls.

EDIT: This got more responses than I thought so I just wanted to clarify something: You can transition into ANYTHING you want after making the socially appropriate acknowledgement, it doesn't have to be friendzone "getting to know you" material. In fact, the one I use most often is the following, since it immediately screens for girls who are sexually available:

  • Her: "I have a boyfriend"
  • You: "Well he's a very lucky guy, make sure to tell him next time you see him. I gotta say though, I feel really bad for him..."
  • Her: "Why?"
  • You: "Because he's gonna end up raising someone else's kids after I get you pregnant"