Your reps have all been there – They’re on the phone with a prospective customer, conversation is flowing and your rep thinks that they could be on the verge of closing a deal. All of a sudden, that sentence comes out of nowhere and stops us dead: “I’m not interested, thank you.” What do you do after that? You might want to panic, hang up or give up on sales altogether – but you can’t! Helping your reps work through rejection is a critical component of sales management. Here are 11 tips to deal with buyer rejection in a healthy and productive way.
1. Don’t take it personally
Usually, a rejection in sales just means that your product wasn’t what the prospect needed. Maybe they couldn’t afford it. It hardly ever has anything to do with you personally, so don’t get emotional when you lose a sale.
2. Expect it
Rejection happens. It is a natural and common part of sales. Train yourself not to be surprised when a customer says “no.”
3. Be professional
You need to remain polite and professional. If you take the rejection well and remain courteous, your prospect will remember that. If they need your services in the future, they will remember your good attitude and will approach you first.
4. Ask why
You can’t figure out what you did wrong unless you ask. There could be some small detail in your proposal that turned them off. Ask them why they didn’t go with your product. You can use this information to help you in future sales calls. Plus, if it’s something you can change easily you may be able to change their minds.
5. Send a last-minute proposal
If you lose a deal to a competitor, send a new offer just in time. If something goes wrong in the deal with the other company, you will be right there to save the day.
6. Talk with your teammates
Everyone in sales deals with rejection. In fact, everyone in life does, to some degree. Don’t isolate yourself after a lost deal. Instead, talk it over with your colleagues. You can vent to them instead of exploding at your customer. You will discover that you are not alone and you might get some helpful tips while you’re at it.
7. Treat it as a necessary step
If it takes an average of x number of calls to make a sale, think of each rejection as building up to that sale. Then, rejections will be a good thing because each one brings you closer to a win.
8. Be persistent
Don’t cross the prospect off your list forever. They may not be interested now, but that doesn’t mean they never will be. Check in with them regularly to see if they’ve changed their mind, but be careful not to call too much. You don’t want to be annoying.
9. Stick to your routine
If you make a certain number of calls in the morning and a certain number of calls in the afternoon, stick with it. This will help you stay on track when you feel like quitting.
10. Focus on the positives
Not every call will be a rejection. Emphasize the calls you won rather than the ones you lost and you will feel much better about yourself.
11. Never give up
Don’t stay down; persevere. If you’re going to make sales, you need to make more calls. Plus, if you do succeed, you will no longer be sad about your rejection.
