Dealing With Sales Rejection
If you are in sales, it is inevitable that you will feel the sting of rejection. You will have done all you can do to secure the business, and the customer will say no. I could go on a rant about no’s being a part of sales and you are one step closer to a yes and this would be true. However, when you are in the aftermath of a lost sale that is the last thing you want to hear.
I admit it…I hate to lose. Last year, I lost a big sale and I walked through the process over and over to determine what I did wrong. A good friend of mine recently lost a job with a customer he had worked with for years. He had invested a large amount of time and effort into this project and the customer decided to go in a different direction.
When this happens, you have several choices. Here are some suggestions that will help you deal with rejection and move on.
- Avoid bitterness. This is a dead end and will affect how you deal with other clients. In both of the scenarios I mentioned above. We chose to take the ‘High Road”. We thanked the customer for the opportunity and immediately began reinforcing the relationship for the next project. Besides, we are in it for the long haul.
- Learn from it. Ask the customer a few questions about why they decided to go in a different direction. You may find out that the project was abandoned due to lack of funding. It may be due to price or a change of personnel. Regardless, try to take something of value from the experience.
- Keep your funnel full. If you have a lot of activity and other possible sales opportunities, it minimizes your anxiety over this one deal.
When you are rejected, lick your wounds, learn from the experience, keep the door open for future opportunities and most importantly, learn how to say NEXT!
Have a great week!
Pierce
