Diminish the Impact of Rejection

Title : "Diminish the Impact of Rejection".Sales,Marketing,Business How do you handle rejection? For most people, the answer is badly. Think back to when you were a small child and hearing a “no” from either of your parents would result in tears and tantrums. Somehow, this powerful, albeit miniscule, little word packs a punch that can reverberate through your entire sales career. This creates a problem because in the sales profession there is no other word that you will hear as frequently as you will hear the word “no.”

We have been trained to believe that the worst and most debilitating thing we can hear in response to our requests is the answer “no”. Our natural instincts have linked the word with disapproval, lack of support and personal rejection. Though the selling game has many rewards, the obstacle course is strewn with the word “no.” Though seldom taught, there are methods that you can use to navigate your way through rejection without allowing it to sink your best efforts for success.


Imagine the following situation. You approach Marge about a business opportunity and a product. You explain to Marge that if she joins up and buys the products, she will actually be receiving money back to buy things that she usually buys at the grocery store anyway. Marge is not convinced. Her reaction sounds something like this. “You must be stupid to think that you are ever going to make money with one of those ridiculous hokey pokey business schemes. Don’t you know those things are all scams? I wouldn’t look at your catalog or buy your stuff even if I knew for sure that you hadn’t stolen it!” With that, she flounces off and slams the door in your face.

What is your reaction? Is it to stumble and stutter under the weight of the embarrassment she has just caused you? Is it to run off dejected, sure that you will never succeed now that you barely even have the courage to knock on another door? Or is it to brush yourself off and go on, looking for the next sale with just as much energy and enthusiasm as when you approached Marge. The category that you fall into here can be determined by the context that you choose to apply to the situation. This is a factor that can be fully controlled by you.

If the context that you apply to Marge’s insult is one that affirms her comments as correct, then you will have a hard time moving onto the next sale. Do you doubt the organization, the opportunity or the product/service you are selling? If so, it will be easy for someone to burst your bubble of hope, allowing all of your insecurities about what you are selling to negatively affect your future efforts. Your inner dialogue will sound something like this, “I knew this wouldn’t work. These people are trying to get me to trick others into joining up but no one will ever want to because this product/service is so stupid. And it’s over priced. I’m never going to be able to make this happen. I might as well not even bother knocking on anyone else’s door because everyone who has half a brain is bound to have the same reaction that Marge did.”

If, on the other hand, your belief in your company, your opportunity, your product/service is too strong to be shaken by Marge’s tirade, then you will begin to apply another context to her insults. For example, “poor Marge, she is obviously very angry about something that has nothing to do with me because I didn’t say anything to get her that upset. I’ll bet she’s gone through her whole life not even trying these kinds of opportunities because she doesn’t believe in her own ability to make them happen. Well, I can’t help her and I am certainly going to succeed so let me go try and help someone else.”

Action step: Write a list of all the reasons why you believe in the product/service you are selling. The next time someone shakes your belief, re-read the list.

  If you gain control over the context you apply to the rejection you will often receive in your selling situations, you will become a powerful player in the selling game. Those who can choose their emotions can choose their reactions, allowing them to go from one sales presentation to the next with renewed energy, vigor and determination to succeed.

© 2007 Alvin Day



  Alvin Day is a Sales Training and Personal Empowerment coach who has helped many sales professionals reach and exceed their goals. For more on Alvin Day’s Sales Training tools and resources visit www.theultimatesalesmanual.com.