Selling is a challenging job full of ups and downs. Sometimes, you land a big sale, and other times you face rejection. It can be disheartening, especially if you are repeatedly turned down. So, how do you deal with rejection in sales? Here are some tips to help you learn how to handle rejection in sales.
Sales Rejection is Inevitable
Rejection is inevitable for every salesperson. Everyone hears the word ‘no’ throughout their career. The key to handling rejection in sales is learning to accept you can’t sell your product or service to everyone.
Instead of being surprised by rejection or start taking it personally, accept that hearing the occasional no is a part of your job description. Contrate on the deals you close and forget about the rejections.
Types of Rejection: Active vs. Passive
There are two types of rejections in sales, active and passive.
An active rejection is difficult to ignore or confuse with another response. For example, your prospect hangs up during your sales call.
Passive rejection often includes prospects not opening your sales emails or responding to your other online marketing strategies. Unfortunately, thanks to a large number of social media platforms, passive rejection in sales is becoming commonplace.
Rejection can happen anytime during the sales process, but it’s less painful at the beginning. Getting a sales rejection right before closing does happen, but it shouldn’t discourage you from moving on to the next prospect on your list.
Handling Rejection in Sales: 8 Tips from the Pros
If you’re wondering how to get started in sales, here are a few tips from the pros on how to handle rejection in sales.
1. Prepare Your Rejection Response
Since rejection is a common part of sales, top performers are prepared with a response. They have a statement ready with words and phrases geared at reframing or redirecting the conversation.
Instead of discussing your lower prices, top performers often offer testimonials from clients that have switched from a vendor the prospect is currently using.
2. Don’t Take it Personally
Keeping an emotional distance is a key trick top performers use to handle sales rejection. They understand the rejection is not a personal response to them; instead, the prospect isn’t interested in their goods or services.
The reason for the rejection can be anything from bad timing to the product not fitting the potential customer’s needs. Top performs simply smile and move on to the next potential client.
3. Learn from the Experience
Rejections are also learning experiences that can offer valuable lessons. So instead of focusing on the lost bonus or the rejection, try and learn something that will help you in the future.
Maybe your sales strategy isn’t working for the specific demographic, or perhaps your sales pitch needs a boost by offering new clients an incentive.
When you can turn rejection into a learning experience, it becomes a positive instead of a negative.
4. Avoid Sales Rejection Words
Some words can make your consultant sales pitch confusing or leave the prospect unsure of your belief in the goods or services.
Known as sales rejection words, you want to avoid using terminology like the following,
- Cheap
- Commission
- Discount
- Hope
- Honestly
- Guarantee
- Maybe
- Seriously
- Ridiculously
- Obviously
Using these and other rejection words in sales dramatically reduces your chances of landing the deal. Even if you ask the best open-ended sales questions, using these rejection words can hurt your chances of success. Learn more about common mistakes sales reps make.
5. Adjust Your Sales Approach
The same approach to sales isn’t going to work for everyone. You often have to retarget your sales approach several times to make conversions.
Research some top sales methodologies. Adjusting your selling points allows you to revisit the rejections. You will probably still run into some sales rejections, but you may also get some conversions. Besides, you know your competitors are also targeting your prospective clients and tracking sales performance metrics.
Wondering how to optimize sales? Contact SELLect Sales.
6. Seek Support from Your Team
A good sales manager or coach understands rejections are something you and the rest of the sales team can learn from.
By talking through the sales rejections with others, new marketing strategies can be created. Recognizing you need help closing the sales is a sign of strength that can help you become a top performer in your company. This tip also applies to reps on online sales teams.
7. Focus on New Opportunities
An effective way of handling rejection in sales is by focusing on other opportunities. It is easy to get stuck concentrating on a lost sale, but it can quickly become an unhealthy obsession.
After a rejection, take a moment to learn from the experience and move on to the next opportunity. There is always another prospect that may be willing to say yes. Learn new skills like seasonal forecasting methods or how to build a sales territory.
8. Never Give Up
Part of your sales job is being a problem solver. Remember, you are selling the solution your clients need.
You are going to receive plenty of rejections in sales. It happens to the top performers. The goal is to move on to the next potential customer. Don’t forget to be flexible with your sales pitch.
Learn More Tips from the Experts at SELLect Sales
Are you ready to learn how to deal with rejection in sales? The SELLect Sales System is deliberately designed to strengthen your sales skillset and establish a custom sales process you can use in your toolbox. So, are you open to becoming a sales superstar?
Contact us to learn more about our online sales development training programs, or check out our sales training blog for more tips from the experts.
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