Rejection as a Salesperson
Rejection is the most universal challenge in a sales role. Everyone in sales has to experience it– it’s simply part of the job. And chances are, regardless of what you sell and who your target client is, you’ll face a lot of rejection.
While rejection is just a fact of life in sales, getting no response each and every day can be discouraging. You will start to lose your focus and even think of finding something else to do. If you do not know how to handle rejection in sales, you could become discouraged to the point of losing your passion and drive. Hurt feelings could end up impacting your future sales and job performance.
There are a lot of things that can cause rejection. Not every person you try to sell your product to needs that product. Some prospects might need that product, but they don’t need to buy it right away and would want it in the future. Some leads require the product, but do not have the money to buy the product. Other prospects might need the product, but it could just not be a good fit feature-wise.
Whatever the reason a potential customer has for rejection, it’s your job as a salesperson to work to understand the kind of prospect you’re pitching your product or service to, and determine what you can do to change their mind– or, in some cases, realize that you need to simply take the rejection and move on.
The problem:
Being a salesperson takes patience and perseverance. You might spend an entire day or even two days trying to sell your product to a prospect.
Unfortunately, the prospect does not always give you the response you need, or rejects your product outright. Even though you did invest a substantial amount of time in that prospect, you should not get discouraged. This type of rejection is very normal in sales, and you need to understand that not every person you approach will be interested in what you are selling.
When you approach a prospect, be prepared for anything. Be ready for a rejection if it comes your way, and try to determine the reason behind a rejection. That will clue you in on whether or not it’s because of something you can change, or if it’s simply out of your control.
Being prepared for rejection, however, does not mean that you should only be prepared for rejection. If the prospect shows interest in what you are selling, you must be ready for that, too.
Take advantage of their interest and make a good impression. Even if the prospect does not end up buying from you, leave them with a positive experience. This might send them back to you later, or they might speak highly of your company to another prospective customer.
When you go out to the market to sell your product you need to have an open mind. You are not the first salesperson to sell or present a product to the market and you are not the last. Your role is to ensure that the prospects get to know your product and the benefits it offers. Some consumers will allow you to sell your product to them while others will not. This is normal and you should be ready for rejection, and remember to be resilient.
Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.
How can we remedy this problem?
1. Understand that rejection is part of the sales job
No matter how good you are in selling a product, not every person you approach will be interested in buying your product. This is important for you as a salesperson to understand. Think of your own experiences as a consumer– how many times have you as an individual bought a product simply because the person selling it is good at what he or she is doing? The answer is probably “very rarely”, if not “never”.
People are motivated to buy products because they need them– if you find yourself getting discouraged about not making a sale, try to remember this.
2. Know how to choose your prospects
As a salesperson you need to know how to identify your customers. Experience should help you identify the right people to try and sell your products to. If you’re stuck, try consulting the marketing material for your product or service and determine what the needs of the target customer are. This can help you identify your prospects and even make a sale.
3. Practice Resilience
Sales can be difficult– but while it might feel discouraging to be rejected by prospective customers, it’s important that you maintain focus on what’s important: finding customers who do need your product or service, and selling to them. This is how you help customers benefit from your product, and help your own sales grow. If fear of rejection is allowed to get in the way, it can cloud your purpose as a salesperson.
Rejection is normal in sales and to an extent, you need to expect that in any given week you’ll face some level of rejection. Ultimately, the sales you aren’t able to make aren’t what matter– it’s the sales you are able to make. Don’t let rejection dampen your sales spirit. Briefly analyze what happened, take notes on how you might have improved your pitch or presentation, and move forward to find new prospects, make sales, and reach your sales goals and targets.