The Thrill of Rejection - Thoughts from a Career in Sales
This is something that I have been dwelling on a bit lately and I hope it can bring some value to you. I did a couple of minutes about this on my Anchor account the other day and felt it was necessary to transcribe it (well paraphrase). We have all been in that job interview where we get asked about our "weakness" and everyone has their own answer (or one they looked up on Google). I am a sore loser and I am quick to share that. I despise losing more than I enjoy winning.
For me, sales has been a game that I have played, coached, studied, etc for quite a while now. When I got into sales it was a means. A means to earn a living and pay bills. A means to "work my way up the ladder". This is what it is for most people. In as much humility as possible, I will share that I am a closer and have done so at a very high rate for my whole career and continue to strive to do better. As a manager I was always very understanding and enjoyed talking with anyone about sales, teaching as often as I could and I would say that I never got mad at someone when they "didn’t do the right thing" as I enjoyed the teaching moment. When I would miss a sale however, it was known that I needed to be left alone for about an hour. I didn’t want to talk to anyone and if anyone tried, it was usually met with "wow, what’s wrong with him?".They sell cars so they can buy a car, or sell houses so they can afford to buy a house. The game is the game, but I have come to realize that I sell the things that I do (fitness and banking most recently) because I actually genuinely want to help my client. I have passed on opportunities where I could have done better financially but knew I wouldn’t be able to believe in what I sold or more importantly, do something to improve the lives of my team and of my clients.
Lately I have come to look at the "rejection" in a different way. This is the point of this article. As mentioned earlier, I will always strive to be a better closer but at the same time when I miss and take it SO personally as I would, we need to remember that one rejection may ultimately lead us more quickly to someone else who needs us. I have started to preach (and most importantly practice) being willing to lose. I don’t like losing nor should anybody but the willingness to learn from the experience and the desire to get to the next client who really would benefit from what I have for them. Don’t worry about someone saying no and be motivated by getting to the person who says yes and not because they "gave in" but because we identified and solved a need.
We have all faced rejection of some sort in our lives and I would be willing to bet that most of us have stories of how that "rejection" was the best thing that ever happened to us. This is what transitions "winning" from an event, to a mentality and ultimately into reality.
Good article
Good thoughts, bud. Yeah, I've been in the car business doing sales in various capacities for almost 10 years now. I can relate to a lot of what you said. I'll add that instead of trying to avoid the "no" a new strategy I've heard of is to try and bring out the No's as quick as possible. This way you have a chance to overcome the objection rather than let it fester and possibly not be addressed.
Would you agree with that sort of approach?
I do agree and ultimately that is the desired outcome of the interaction. I hang in there is along as anybody and am aware of the "six or seven no's before you get a yes" theory, but in this article the "no" means the end of the discussion and the client doesn't buy.
Thank you for sharing your story with us. I like how you are starting to look at it . everyone gets emotional . I do all the time. but that shows you have a great heart and want to see your clients happy . Remember it doesn't matter what kind of job you have , that doesn't mean you can offered great things for yourself and or family , keep being you . Don't give up . :)
Thanks for the encouragement! It just comes to a point where it is more worth being able to sleep at night for helping people versus just hitting numbers for short term gain.
You're welcome, I understand that . everyone makes life sound easy and it really is not easy at all. so don't be hard on yourself. :) like you said , long as you can sleep at night knowing that you made one person's day better , then everything else will fall into place . :)