7 Killer Sales Fears Part 6
Posted by: Cheryl Clausen in sales coaching, tags: fear of selling, sales fearsCan I Play Too?
When you were a kid remember a time when you saw another group of kids playing. It looked like they were having fun. You wanted to have fun too. So after watching from a far for a while you gathered the courage to approach one of the kids who seemed to have some influence with the group and you asked, “Can I play too?”
This was pretty scary. You’ve been one of the kids in the group playing when another kid asked to play and they got shot down. Even if you have never directly experienced this kind of rejection, watching the impact left a powerful fear of rejection in you.
The Fear of Rejection
Yet again the lessons learned in childhood impact us even today. Anyone engaged in selling must understand rejection and use rejection to their advantage. We perceive rejection as:
- a negative response
- a refusal
- dismissal
- elimination
Perception v. Reality
However, perception is not reality. In reality rejection is neither nothing more nor nothing less than a filtration process. Yes, a filtration process. Rejection means one of two things:
- I have NO interest in the offer
- I have SOME interest in the offer and I have some concerns
Be certain to notice something important here. Rejection has nothing to do with YOU and everything to do with the offer. The only person putting you in the rejection picture is YOU because you’re so hung up on yourself you think it has to be about YOU.
It Ain’t About YOU
So let’s look at what rejection really is so you can understand how to use it to your advantage. Sometimes a potential buyer even tells you, “I have no interest in… (your offer).” If they aren’t a good fit for your offer then you should be glad. You really don’t need to waste valuable resources chasing after someone who will never buy your stuff.
When you get told, “I’m not interested” and you get upset realize you’re upset for one of two reasons. Either you’re just selfish and your only concern is the missed sale, or you’re upset because you know your stuff would really benefit the other person.
I Don’t Believe Your Selfish
So that means you’re upset because your offer got rejected when it’s the right thing for the person rejecting it. When that’s the case you have every right to be very upset with yourself. You just cheated that person. They rejected your offer because:
- You didn’t focus on what they want
- You didn’t effectively tell them what your stuff does
- You set the wrong goal for the encounter
When you miss the mark on any of the above you can anticipate a lot of rejection. These 3 simple things keep the majority of entrepreneurs, business owners, and sales professionals from the sales success they deserve. It’s an unfortunate reality.
Reason #2
So what about the second reason you get rejected? You’ll hear things like:
- I tried that before
- That would never work for someone like me
- That’s out of my league
When you hear things like that you should do a dance for joy. That’s not a rejection of your offer. Those are objections. Objections indicate buyer interest not rejection.
What They’re Really Saying
They aren’t saying, “I tried something like this before and it didn’t work so I’ll never buy anything like that again.”
They are really saying, “That sounds interesting. I tried something like you’re describing in the past and was disappointed. How do I know your offer won’t disappoint me too?”
They aren’t rejecting you. They aren’t rejecting your offer. They’re telling you that if it weren’t for… whatever they indicated… they would be interested in hearing more about your offer.
Missed Opportunities
This is where almost all sales people BLOW IT. Most sales people try to eliminate or remove the rejection through rebuttal. You engage in a verbal battle where you try to tell the other person they’re wrong and give them the reasons why they’re wrong. You can’t win that conversation. It’s like the “No I’m not” “Yes you are” arguments you had when you were a kid. It didn’t work then and it doesn’t work now.
This is where the Top Sales Producers shine. Rather than picking a fight they’re going to lose the Top Sales Producers would respond something like this… “I can certainly appreciate how maddening it is when something doesn’t do what it’s supposed to do. Can you tell me a little about what didn’t work?”
Opening Doors
As the other person shares their experience you just opened the door to removing the rejection. All you have to do is:
- ask questions
- listen
- discover what they’re really looking for
Do you have a story about how you removed a rejection and later gained a client? Feel free to share it with us.
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