Rethinking Rejection

Written by businessideas.info

Throughout your life, you have been taught that, in general, yes is good and no is bad. Yes opens up new opportunities and experiences, while no closes you off to the world and keeps you from reaching your full potential. To some extent, this is true. It is important to be open to new things and try activities you never have before, but it is equally as critical that you rethink the status of the word "No", especially in the world of sales.

When a prospect says no to you, you may feel down, depressed, or something along those lines. Most of the time, no is not the end of a sales encounter, it is just an inevitable objection that every salesperson faces. Try to get through a year, month, or even day without hearing the word no, and you will find that it simply cannot happen. Humans are not machines programmed to accept everything you say. They will have qualms about your offering, and will say no to specific points in your presentation. No is not the end; in fact, it is the beginning. It means that you need to alter something about your offering to make it more acceptable, attractive, or valuable. If the prospect does not say no, how will you know what to change?

Although yes is the ultimate goal in any sales situation, you are going to hear a lot of "no"s along the way, and this is not only acceptable, but is preferred. If the prospect says, "I am somewhat interested, but I need some time to think about it", without ever saying what they do not like, how will you know what to fix? Rethink your opinions on this widely regarded negative response, and you will see your success rates rise immediately.