"You can always go into sales." Have you ever heard this advice being dispensed? The truth of the matter is that yes, you can always go into sales, but not everyone succeeds at it. Successful salespeople share specific characteristics, but if you weren’t born with them, you can certainly develop them.
There is often a big payoff in sales but success requires perseverance and tenacity. One of the biggest challenges in sales is dealing with rejection. How you handle rejection could well determine whether or not success is just around the corner. Successful salespeople are patient and methodical, flexible and service-oriented, behavior that can be developed over time.
Psychologically, the fear of rejection sometimes works as a motivator that is as strong as the actual payoff. There is a stigma associated with rejection that brings loss of face or perceived failure. Even though in reality that is not true, the perception is simply there.
If you are not someone born with the ability to brush off rejection and stay positive minded, be sure to have your own personal backup plan. In other words, know what you will do in case you are turned down, whether it’s in a sales situation, job interview, school application or anything else life throws your way. An example of a backup plan in sales is not to take the initial “no” as the final "no" — ask for a referral and keep building a relationship. You never know what might happen a few months down the road.
Put Rejection to Good Use
The most important facet of turning rejection into a positive is to learn from it. What did you observe in the person who said "no"? Could you have shared information in a different way? Did you listen for the need and approach it from that specific angle? Did you overwhelm them with too much information? In other words, make use of the rejection and use it as a way to improve yourself, your work, or your skills. Most forms of rejection provide ample clues to how your approach, project, or proposal fell a little short. Use whatever suggestions are provided in relation to the rejection to hone in on your shortcomings and improve the quality of your submissions, tactics, and self.
Refocus on staying optimistic while acknowledging each aspect of a rejection. Realize that you were brave enough to try, and you can try again. In network marketing, there is even a saying that embraces rejection: "Go for the 'no.'" What this means is that you cannot avoid rejection, so rather than try to avoid it, simply go for it, because the more "nos" you collect, the closer you are to finding a "yes."
In sales lingo, accumulating rejections while searching for acceptance is called knowing your sales ratio. The Behavioral Sciences Research Press estimates that it takes an average of 30 calls to get an appointment with a prospective client. The more expensive the item, the higher the sales ratio. For example, a realtor will likely have a higher sales ratio than a car salesman. Realizing what your sales ratio is makes rejection much easier to accept, because it becomes a fact of reality, rather than something personal. In fact, not taking rejection personally is another key to success in sales.
Perseverance and Long-Term Success
Once you have decided you want to tackle sales, you need to prepare for the long term. Here are some good habits to develop: