12 Tips for Handling Buyer Rejection

Rejection is one of the biggest apprehensions of people who are considering going into sales. Rejection is difficult to overcome both in life and in sales. The mere utterance of “I’m not interested, thank you” is sometimes enough for a sales person to feel defeated, dispirited. But the hard truth is that rejection is inevitable, especially in sales. Therefore, it is important for sales people to stay positive and persistent.

Fear of rejection is common, especially for those who are only starting out in sales. Here are 12 tips that can help you handle buyer rejection in a healthy and productive way:

1. Don’t Take it Personally

Don’t get emotional when you lose a sale. Smile and move on the next person on your list of prospects. That’s what successful sales people do. The prospects don’t know you. They are refusing your offers, not you. So, don’t take it personally.

2. Expect Rejection

Train yourself to expect to hear “no”. Rejection is, after all, a huge part of sales. Rejection is part of the game, accept it don’t get surprised by it. It is not something to be avoided but understood as a reality. Once you have learned to accept and expect rejection, then you can view it as an opportunity to further improve yourself.

3. Get Into a Routine

For some people, sticking to a routine helps them stay motivated. Start by making your sales calls early in the day. These calls that involve introductions are powerful and effective. Do them daily and before long, it is going to become a daily sales habit that can help you succeed. Also, by incessantly reaching out to more and more people, you are increasing your chances of finding people who are interested in what you have to offer.

4. Be Polite and Professional

Sales professionalism includes the etiquette, characteristics, and mannerisms that are expected of salespeople. These characteristics and habits improve the ability of salespeople to communicate and build rapport with prospects. Politeness will improve your relationships with prospects, help to build respect and rapport, and boost your self-esteem and confidence.

5. Prepare and Deliver

Prepare and practice good responses for when you hear “no” from prospects. Inform the prospects about the testimonials from companies just like theirs and share the benefits they achieved from you. Share case studies of customer success to prove your products help real people and companies, and get them excited about delivering value.

6. Ask Prospects Why They Didn't Buy

Meeting your prospects’ needs cannot be accomplished just by them looking at what you are selling. It is what you are not selling, what you are marking down, what you are not giving your customers that counts. People love to give advice. All you must do is ask. It is what you do with that information that counts to gain knowledge on what you can do the next time around.

7. Better Proposal with New Offer

It is not uncommon for you to lose a deal to a competitor or for your prospects to start showing interest in a competitor. If or when it happens, stay at the top of your game and send a new offer right away. An unmarked discount is one option that you can offer. It also a good idea to provide multiple options that your prospect can choose from.

8. Discuss with Your Teammates

Your team is amazing. It works at the highest level of efficiency and reacts responsively at lightning speed in every situation. Rejection in sales is an opportunity for professional improvement and you’ll be able to see it in a much better light if you bring it up with your teammates. So, don’t isolate yourself after a lost deal. Instead, talk it over with your colleagues. Get feedback from your team on how you can improve your sales process.

9. Continue to Follow Up

Following up on sales is a critical step in building and maintaining long-term relationships with new customers. Creating a solid sales follow-up strategy is a must because it can actually help you sell more to existing customers. It is also a great way for getting referrals.

10. Think Positive

Staying motivated is one of the most important things you can learn in sales. Getting through the “NO” in your life takes courage. Successful salespeople can maintain a positive mental disposition even when adversity strikes. They allow themselves to experience their emotions and work through them. They realize it’s what happens to their attitude when they experience these emotions that counts.

11. Build Relationships

Nurturing relationships with potential and possible customers are a must, follow their company on social media and in the news, and congratulate them on their successes. More and more business owners and salespeople are starting to realize that in order to be successful, they need to create strong relationships with their prospects.

12. Celebrate and Reward Your Wins

Big or small wins, they all count, and all wins should be celebrated. Celebrating must be linked to achievements that can be different from just hitting the highest revenue targets. Creating and celebrating milestones that can serve as a path to bigger wins can be a good way to motivate yourself as well as your teammates. Just the same, rewards do not have to be expensive tokens all the time. There are tons of creative ways to celebrate small wins without breaking the bank. But don’t discount them so much that they do not end up motivating you to perform better.