Embrace Rejection and become a Sales Superstar

I do not believe that rejection exists at all. Before you approach a prospect to offer them a solution, which will allow them to alleviate a challenge or satisfy a need they may have. You do not have a sale. If they do not see the value in what you are offering and decline your offer, you still do not have a sale. Nothing has changed. Things only change once you have adequately built up a value proposition, which your prospect or client finds desirable, and they decide to purchase your product or service. Only once they actually see the value you and your product or service offer and they decide to purchase from you, now things have changed, you have acquired a new customer. Until then things remained exactly the same.

We Really Fear Rejection – What can we do about it?
I know it sounds really great to say there is no such thing as rejection. When in reality we all know that we take it really personally when someone refuses to buy from us. We all have a really ingrained fear of rejection. I have tried to provide you with all the best tools and techniques in this article, which I have learned through trial and error, over the past twenty five years as a sales person myself. I hope these ideas will help you to increase your sales and to manage and mitigate the effects of rejection.

Avoiding Rejection
The best way to not feel the angst of rejection is to avoid being rejected altogether. So how do you, avoid being rejected, conquer that fear and become the sales giants you want to be?

Please read through the few ideas below, which I have discovered, as I have travelled my own path to sales success. I am sure that if you follow these few basic principles, you will avoid almost all rejection in the future and if you are unable to avoid having a prospect reject your value proposition, you will more easily be able to manage or mitigate the negative emotions, traditionally associated with rejection.

Believe in what you have to sell and approach each prospect or client with confidence.
Know exactly what the value proposition is of your product or service and how this can help your prospects or clients. Once you know what benefits your product or service offers, it is far easier to identify the right people or businesses that need what you have to offer.
Know and understand all the benefits your product offers and how you can show this to your prospect.
Never ever try to sell anything ever again. Always approach your clients or prospects from a position where you authentically want to help them.
Research your prospects and clients, really well, so that you can get to know their needs and challenges. Once you understand their needs, it is far easier to approach them with a value proposition that they will find desirable.
Target your clients carefully. When you select your clients really carefully, so that their needs and challenges match up to the value your product or service offers, it is far less likely that they will not reject your offer.
Get referrals from satisfied clients. This gives you a strong foot through the door and makes showing your prospect your value proposition really easy.
Find Creative ways of building mutually beneficial relationships with your prospects and clients.
Map out a plan to build connection with the right decision makers.
10. Get your prospects to know like and trust you before you approach them to show them the value both you and your product and service offer.

Conquer your fear of Rejection
Even when you follow the guidelines above, there will still be people, who do not want what you have to offer. So how do you manage these situations?

Learn to handle the word no in a constructive way. When someone turns you down they are not rejecting you, they simply cannot see the value in the same way you do. They are just saying no, I cannot see why I should purchase your product or service right now. This is an opportunity for you to sit back and re-examine your approach and to see if you have really done your homework properly. Remember that it is very seldom that someone will make a purchase on the first contact. It can take between 5 and as much as 12 contacts, to get your prospect to know like and trust you and your product or service enough to buy from you. Patience and perseverance are key to sales success.

Explore these few questions below to discover how to proceed, after a prospect has “REJECTED” you value proposition.

Has your approach adequately shown the value proposition you offer?
Is there something you have missed?
Could you explain your value proposition differently to clarify things with your prospect?
Does your prospect need to know more about you and your product or service before they will see the value you offer?
How can you show them this value?
Is this the right decision maker?
Does this person really need what you have to offer?
Have they got a really great relationship with their current supplier and will not change under any circumstances?
Explore your answers and see if your approach needs to be modified or whether the prospect is worth any further effort on your part. Your sales success is dependent on you utilising your time as effectively as possible. So try to discover the prospects that are a never going to see your value proposition, as soon as possible and focus all your energy on the prospects, who need what you have to offer, as they see your solution set, as a perfect fit, to meet their needs.

Love what you sell
Learn to really love what you have to sell. I see my consulting and speaking services as a real gift to everyone I work with. Try to see your product or service like a nutritious desert offered for sale in a restaurant. Imagine if the waitress in an upmarket restaurant offered their special strawberry parfait to the patrons in their restaurant and two out of five people did not want to have any of their special dessert.

They would obviously not go to the restaurant manager, every time someone said no, throw their hands up in the air stating that they were a failure. They would simply go about the business of providing great service to the patrons in the restaurant and simply think that the people, who had refused dessert, had missed out on a great opportunity. You should operate in exactly the same way when you offer your really special product or service to anyone and they do not want it. All you should see is that they are missing out on a really great opportunity for your product or service to have helped them, and then go on about your business.

Treat Your Product or Service as a gift
When you truly love the product or service that you sell, your prospects and clients will feel your enthusiasm and passion, towards the value that you offer. Try to see your products and services as more nutritious and beneficial than even the best fruit desert possible. Know that your prospect is “REJECTING” the presentation and never the presenter. Separate your self-esteem from your presentation and instead of feeling a personal affront when someone says no. See the value they have missed and look for ways of finding someone else who can benefit from what you offer.

Overcoming any Negative Feelings
If you are struggling with any negative emotions after experiencing any “REJECTION”, then invest some extra time networking with mentors and role models, who can give you some guidance and help you see that you are OK. Try listening to inspirational CD’s or uplifting music or re-read this article to help you see that it is not you that was rejected. Spend time around winners and optimists as often as possible, they will help feed your positive attitude.

Believe in Yourself
Once you have learned to believe in yourself and you see the real value, you and your product or service offer. You will no longer feel rejected, you will start to feel disappointed on behalf of the prospect and you will know that they are worse off for not seeing the value you bring.