Dealing with Rejection
Let’s face it the customer doesn’t always say yes. No matter how professional you are or how well you present your product, the customer may often say “no.”
When I was in commissioned sales, I used to make 50 phones calls every Monday morning to total strangers from the Dunn and Brad Street list. I became “proficient at rejection. “ The secret of course is to never “own it” or personalize it. This is exactly why we want to network whenever possible and work on warm leads and qualified referrals. When you have an introduction or endorsement before calling the chances of receiving a brisk rejection is minimal. You have your opening line-“John suggested I give you a call and share with you the many advantages of our products…” or “several employees from your company are enjoying our product….
So many of us fear rejection and making a cold call seems next to impossible. We do anything possible to avoid the dreaded cold call! “Can’t make those calls I have paperwork” or “no time left I’ve been organizing my notes.” However, objections and rejection are simply part of the program. In my training classes I illustrate that objections are a good thing! Why? Objections demonstrate interest. The prospect or customer is engaged…they have an opinion. An objection actually indicates that they are considering buying. We’ve all heard that selling is a numbers game. If I told you that I had placed a ten dollar bill under one of 10 cups, what would you do? Simple, you’d turn every cup over until you found your ten dollar bill. Selling is exactly the same. We won’t please everyone. Think of every “no” as one step closer to a yes..and celebrate them.
Here’s a few tips that might help the fears of rejection:
Never personalize. There are so many reasons why someone might say no. Many people say no out of habit. They are forever doubtful and their first response is simply “no.” What they are really saying is “convince me.” Sometimes no, means “I don’t know.”
Be prepared. Anticipate common objections or behaviors that might intimidate you. Be ready for them and learn from them. Think to yourself, “adversity makes me more resilient!” or “stress stimulates my creativity!” If you really want to be prepared, say to yourself, “hostile people amuse me!” I can honestly say they do amuse me. It becomes such a challenge to turn that negative or stressful conversation around to a positive one. When you do, you are almost to a sale!
Know your competition. When you know how your product or service compares to others, you have the tools necessary to make the sale.
Redefine the meaning of “no.” Maybe “no” means “not now” or “I need more information” or “I want to compare your product to others.” I like to say that “no” means proceed with caution. Too many people hear the word no and see it as a big red stop sign. I like to think of ‘no” as a yellow flashing light meaning proceed with caution, but do proceed.
Be flexible. Is there another approach that might create a better outcome in this situation? Ask yourself, “What factors am I willing to accept on this situation?”
Expect the customer to say “yes.” When you approach a situation expect the best. It will show in how you carry yourself, your voice tones and your delivery.
Our beliefs affect our attitude; our attitude influences the way we perform; and our performance determines our results. Remember your self esteem in not based on the reactions of others but by your own sense of value. Negative feedback provides information needed to make changes in your direction. Rejection rather than being humiliating can renew humility. Learning from failures will increase your chances of success. You can learn from every situation and be grateful for that opportunity. Think of rejection as raindrops on duck’s feathers.
Expect success and it will come to you!