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"I failed miserably at this for two simple reasons: I hate rejection" Rejection is tough on everyone. Good sales people do a few things to mitigate this that I
by larrys 14y ago
"I failed miserably at this for two simple reasons: I hate rejection"
Rejection is tough on everyone. Good sales people do a few things to mitigate this that I've noticed and practiced. One thing is to think of it as a game to expect a certain amount of rejection as part of what you do in advance.
I mean if I told you right now to pick up the phone and call someone and pitch them and there was no outcome and I paid you $20 to do it you probably wouldn't have a fear of doing that. If I told you that I would pay you if they hang up on you $20 but $0 if they don't you probably would all the sudden not be afraid of the hangup, right? It's all a psychological game. Same thing with approaching a girl in a bar.
Second thing though is that some good sales people don't pick up on social cues as well as others. So they don't feel the rejection as much as sensitive people do. If you are cold calling the same micro expressions that might turn a sensitive person into jelly completely escapes many good salespeople. Same with just a voice. It takes time to get over this automatic reaction but it can be done with practice just like anything else. (Although you don't want to turn it off because the same skill is really good for negotiating.)
- AznHisoka 14y agoPerhaps it's best to be emotionless and cold? That way you don't take rejection that personally.
- n_coats 14y agothose could be good hindsight characteristics to mitigate the emotion of rejection, but in taking on a sale I think it is better to be warm and aware of the social cues your potential client is providing. The best salesman are able to close by adapting to the various physical and social cues people provide.
- rgraham 14y agoMy experience with sales people is that they pick up on social cues much better than average. The good ones just don't take rejection poorly. It's part of success and often you can learn to prepare or target better from the experience.
- larrys 14y agoTrue. I should have qualified what I said. By "some sales people" what I meant to say is salespeople that have to cold call.
- backbutton 14y agoThere's a game called Rejection Therapy[1] that's designed to reframe rejection as success. It also gives players the permission to fail and experiment with personal boundaries. [1] http://rejectiontherapy.com http://rejectiontherapy.com
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- segmond 14y agoyou could say that good sales people take rejection very well and be right. you can also say that good sales people don't take rejection very well and also be right! at the end of the day, the rejection is irrelevant, i believe it's all about what comes before the rejection, their attitude, presentation, building rapport and caring about the customer's need. these are what drives the sales, rejection is an after effect and not an important variable for the sales.