How to Handle Rejection!
It is often said that rejection is the number one reason why people hate selling. I agree. It is why we are reluctant to pick up the telephone, cold call on a customer at their place of business, and why we avoid networking events. Someone whispering and pointing our way makes us feel uncomfortable.
To make matters worse our bosses, teachers, and spouses tell us to, “Just suck it up! Go out there and get new business.” Or the latest phrase is, “Put on your big boy pants.” I remember a conversation with a friend who was in the mortgage business. He told me anyone coming into his business as a sales representative, who was afraid to pick up the telephone to cold call, was “Dead on arrival!”
To handle rejection we first need to find our comfort zone. Know what it is that you like to do when interacting with people. Writing blogs might be your answer. Hiding behind Internet searches could be your way to solicit business. My question to my mortgage friend was, “What if your sales associate, who is afraid to pick up the telephone. was comfortable walking door to door asking for business?” Getting in our comfort zone is important.
Knowing how to ask for the business is important in every marketing and sales setting. In the sales process, making the presentation conversational, such that it appears easily understood is important. Showing clients the ‘sizzle’ rather than the ‘steak’ is the key. I love the question, “What is in it for me?” All of our prospects want the answer to this in the presentation phase. Expect to be rejected when telling your prospect about your virtues and those of your product (the steak.) When prospecting I want my clients to know that I am applying for a job that will only deliver results (the sizzle) to them. The results we deliver are what we are paid for.
The next thing that causes rejection is being creative. Everyone likes to be creative. We all want to sound different than the standard pitch man. Well, successful pitch men know what to say and who to say it to. They make their pitch conversational. They know in advance what works. They can tell you within two or three approaches how many people they will contact to get a sale. The answer here is making sure your pitch is all about the wants of your prospect and makes the pitch conversational so that it sounds nothing like a pitch. Always know in advance what response you will receive when making the approach (meeting someone) to collecting the check.
Knowing the standard objections of your prospects is the next most important component for handling rejection. When in the insurance business, we would role play the following game. Two of us would sit across the table from each other. One would be the sales person. The other would be the prospect. The prospect would have a list of all the objections in front of them. As the sales person made the sales presentation the buyer would be a “hard sell” by using all the objections. After participating in this exercise, and reality out in the field, our sales people became very good at handling rejection.
Rejection is often taken too personally. Understanding rejection is only a prospective client’s way of asking more questions. A technique to use when receiving rejection is to ask a question. If a client responds to your presentation with a flat, “I am not interested in your offer.” You can always respond with, “What might make you interested in our offer?” Beyond this question again, receiving flat rejection you can still ask, “Can I send you something of value?” One of the things that we do is create an article every 30 days. Some might say that we are rejected regularly. More than 90 per cent of the time I end up sending these rejections a copy of our latest article. Within six months and maybe longer they become clients after we have received a flat out “No, we are not interested!” One lady rejected us five years ago. She had no money and was just starting her business. Early in 2010 she became a full fee client. Any question?
Gerry Rose runs INTEGRITY Networking Solutions in Oceanside, CA. He works with people in business who want to attract the right prospects and generate more referrals. More than 10,000 businesses have been presented the INTEGRITY Networking Solutions system in San Diego, Riverside, and Orange Counties.
Gerry’s stimulating presentation Unlimited Prospects, Unlimited Referrals is ideally suited for small business owners, home-based businesses, and independent professionals who want clearer direction and want to attract more prospects, develop dynamic systems, and strengthen their companies’ accountability. Gerry does one on one consulting, conducts a range of keynote speeches from thirty minutes to full-day education workshops.
His book series, Unlimited Prospects, Unlimited Referrals, are available on the website, www.integritysd.com.
Gerry has more than 20 years’ experience directing business owners how to grow their businesses. He is a networking dynamo. Those who know him will assure you that he does a great job of bringing people together—which is why he started INTEGRITY.
Involved with networking organizations since 1984, Gerry is a Distinguished Toastmaster, a member of Toastmaster International, and has chaired numerous chambers of commerce and non-profit organizations.
Are you truly committed to attracting the right prospects and generate more referrals? If so then contact INTEGRITY Networking Solutions for availability and information. You can contact Gerry by mail at 1610 Quiet Hills Drive, Oceanside, CA 92056. Direct dial (760) 439-4623; e-mail to gerry@integritysd.com. For more information, go to www.integritysd.com
