Salespeople have to prospect. That's the truth. Salespeople can find their prospects in lots of different ways: introductions, social media, networking, lists, internal referrals from business partners, cold calling, pre-approach email, association memberships, and business networking groups.
What is also true is that no matter how a salesperson gets a name, the next step is to contact them. They can contact them by mail (email or snail mail) or by phone (the most common method). If they are going to have any chance to schedule time to talk with them about their current situation to determine if they are a prospect, they must make contact — and it must be effective contact.
Prospecting is difficult. It is not usually fun. If you are a manager, don't tell your people to "just pick up the phone and have fun with it." They will know you don't know what you're talking about and haven’t recently dealt with rejection in sales.
Facing rejection, not talking to anyone, having people hang up on you, having people ask you to never call again, people lying or avoiding you, not returning calls or emails, pretending to be interested just to get rid of you, asking for free help, taking your info to fix the problem themselves, or canceling last-minute — ZERO FUN. And the list goes on.
If prospecting isn’t fun, then what is it? Here’s another truth: You don’t have to like it; you just have to do it.
Salespeople must put a lot of preparation, emotion, intellect, and skill into being successful at prospecting. Our evaluation partner, Objective Management Group, has found that one of the biggest contributors to sales success is the ability to be rejection-proof. Even with all the skills, techniques, scripts, and preparation, if a salesperson cannot handle the rejection in sales and emotional roller coaster of prospecting, they will struggle, be inconsistent, and fail more than they succeed.
The Strength of Handling Rejection in Sales
When dealing with rejection in sales is a strength, an individual will:
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Be able to ask tough questions and challenge their customers to earn their respect
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Remain objective and actively listen to prospects and customers
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Feel empowered to take positive action without being sabotaged by negative self-talk
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Push back over price objections, competition, and indecision
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Lean into discussions about budget and funding
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Get back on another sales call immediately after being rejected without feeling hurt
In the end, salespeople need to prospect. If they have a solid phone approach so they don’t look, act, and sound like everyone else, they have a chance.
As a manager, if you help them understand the root causes of their prospecting woes (non-supportive beliefs, need for approval, etc.), you can help them improve. If you make them practice so their phone conversation is as natural as breathing, they’ll improve their results.
Dealing with rejection in sales is all about being resilient. Here’s our easy-to-remember philosophy: SW3 — Some will, some won’t, so what, move on.
Recently, one of our insurance producers shared this:
“I used to get hung up on rejection, but now I follow the model: some will, some won’t, so what, move on. That mindset shift has been incredibly freeing and has helped me stay focused and resilient.”
The bottom line is that rejection in sales isn’t fun. It’s about getting the job done — being resilient and tenacious in your prospecting efforts so you have solid appointments that turn into solid opportunities that turn into closed business. THAT’S where the fun is: new relationships and new opportunities to help clients.
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