Rejection and Sales professionals are no strangers. It's a common experience for many salespeople, in fact, it's an inevitable part of the sales process.
No matter how skilled you are or how much experience you have, you're bound to face rejection at some point in your career. Given that you make countless cold calls, pitch your products or services to potential customers, and negotiate deals that may ultimately fall through, this should come as no surprise.
Rejection can come in many forms, from a prospect declining your proposal, a potential client refusing to take a call or ignoring your email, to a long-term client cutting ties with your company. And the ability to handle rejection and learn from it is what separates successful sales professionals from those who struggle to make sales.
There is no doubting that dealing with rejection can be challenging, especially for sales professionals who are just starting their careers.
But salespeople are not the only ones that have to deal with rejection.
I know a sales trainer who was originally going to be a ballerina.
She took a class every day with a teacher whose job it was to criticise her.
The criticism was to help her improve, but sometimes it just felt like criticism.
She learned to dance in front of a big mirror so that she could criticise herself.
She was called “a cow” because she put on a few extra pounds.
She had teachers smack an errant arm or leg because that arm or leg was in the wrong position. She lost dance jobs because she was too tall, too short, or had the wrong colour hair.
She was not accepted into a prestigious ballet school because her back was too long.
And, she mentioned, when you go to a dance audition, they don’t let you dance. They simply line you up and look at you and then start eliminating dancers. Once they’re done eliminating, the dancers that are left get to dance.
Sales can be a tough world. (maybe not as tough as ballet ?)
Everyone will not love you or your product or service.
Everyone will not say “yes.”
Sales trainers will say “Overcome every objection!” “Turn every ‘no’ into ‘yes!’”
The stark reality is that will not happen every time.
Some prospects will just say “no.”
A career in sales is not for the weak.
But remember what noted sales trainer Tom Hopkins said ...
"There's not a product or service on the market that doesn't have some built-in objections and at least a few minor problems."
In short, there is no such thing as a perfect product or service.
In some ways rejection can be a blessing because not every prospect is going to be a good fit for your product or service.
It's important to weed out the prospects who aren't a good fit early on to avoid wasting time and resources on unproductive leads.
Also, the feedback from your offer being rejected is an opportunity to learn and adjust your sales approach.
One of the main reasons why rejection is so difficult to handle is that it is often interpreted as a personal failure.
Sales professionals who are rejected may feel like they are not good enough, that their product or service is not valuable enough, or that they didn't communicate their message effectively.
These negative self-evaluations can be damaging to a sales professional's self-esteem and can make them less confident in future sales interactions.
But there's something to remember that may help you to not take rejection personally.
I read some statistics a few years back that said the best sales people in the USA close most of their sales AFTER the fifth “No”.
Now many sales trainers use that fact to suggest that salespeople need to be persistent. And it does suggest that.
But here’s something that should make you feel a little better.
Most people do not make instant decisions.
Most means more than 50% of people.
And advertisers know this.
Have you ever watched those TV commercials selling you the latest gadget.
How many times have you heard “but wait there’s more” or “That’s not all”.
If you pay close attention the next time you watch one of those commercials you’ll notice they repeat their offer at least 3 times and usually 5 times.
They do that becasue a lot of people need to consider an offer 3 - 5 times before they are prepared to commit.
So, those "No"s you are getting may not have anything to do with You or your product just human nature and the way people buy.
So, why would you allow rejection to stop you?
Put it aside and continue on.
The power is entirely yours.
If there are people in the world having success doing exactly what you want to be doing, there is no reason that you cannot do it too.
This is the difference between a sales amateur and a sales professional.
A professional is someone who shows up, no matter what.
A professional is someone who gets the job done, no matter what.
A professional is someone who does what she needs to do, when she needs to do it, no matter what.
An amateur is someone who lets circumstances, other people and emotions get in the way.
Being a professional salesperson starts with your mindset, having that can-do attitude.
A professional salesperson believes:
If you don't believe in your product or service or company, it's unlikely that your customers will either. A strong belief in what you're selling will enable you to communicate its value and benefits more effectively, which can help you overcome objections and close deals.
A professional salesperson has sales skills and does whatever they need to do to perfect them including learning from their mistakes
A professional salesperson has Resilience - the inner strength to react to what happens to them, the outer strength and mental strength to respond to what happens to them and all their strength to recover from what happens to them.
To develop resilience, it's important to stay focused on your goals, maintain a positive attitude, and learn from your mistakes.
A professional salesperson is Customer-centric
Your goal should be to help your customers solve their problems or achieve their goals. By focusing on the needs of your customers, you'll be better able to understand their pain points or desires and tailor your approach to their specific needs. And you won't be focused on yourself (and feeling rejected)
A professional salesperson has Pride:
A professional salesperson has Confidence:
This will enable you to communicate your message with conviction, handle objections with ease, and close deals more effectively.
Remember the ex ballerina who turned sales trainer when she retired from dancing.
She faced rejection, criticism, and harsh judgment throughout her dance career. However, she did not let these obstacles stop her.
Instead, she learned from them and refined her technique.
Or as she put it,
“If you want it enough, you fix your saggy butt and go back.”