You're Not Afraid of Rejection

I am a salesman. And, if you are reading this blog, chances are, you are as well. If you are reading this blog it’s probable that we have spoken on the phone. I have probably called you at some point in time. I only point out this fact for one reason, so that you are confident I know a little bit about the job of a salesperson.

In this post I want to talk about one of the most important lessons I have ever learned. Because, believe me, when it came to selling, I had a lot to learn. You see, my formal education is in chemistry. Not exactly the ideal training ground for a career in business.

Knowing that I am trained as a chemist might help explain why I talk about such nerdy stuff. It also explains why my grammar, and prose, are far from the Queen’s English.

At any rate, due to my nature, I studied the sales profession as analytically as I had once studied the periodic table. What I have come to know is that all sales jobs contain three fundamental tasks. Those tasks are: prospect, present, and close.

Just in case any other analyticals are reading this post, let me quickly will clarify one point. When I speak of sales, and selling, I am talking about non-retail selling. Retail sales agents usually do not need to prospect, they simply wait for foot traffic.

Prospect, present, and close. Those are the three jobs of a salesperson. Obviously, you cannot close a deal if you've never made a presentation. And, you cannot make a presentation if you haven’t found somebody to talk to.

It’s been said that 80% of salespeople wash-out, in their first year, due to insufficient prospecting. That’s a BIG problem. Many a trainer has endeavored to solve the prospecting problem. Unfortunately, the solution can actually exacerbate the very problem it seeks to solve.

If you have been in sales for any length of time you have likely heard it said that people fail to prospect because of what? That’s right, many talking heads will tell you that the problem is a fear of rejection. Salespeople don’t do their job because they are afraid of the word “No.” Sounds reasonable. Right? I am here to tell you, it’s not true.

To be clear, the problem does appear to be a fear of rejection. However, if we hope to solve the problem (and this is a big problem in need of a solution) we need to get past appearances.

Allow me to demonstrate. Imagine you are at Starbucks ordering a cup of coffee. Maybe it’s just after the Holidays. You ask the person, behind the counter, if they have anymore of the Pumpkin Spiced Lattes, and the barista tells you “No.” What do you do? Do you cry? Do you run out of the store and “quit”? That is to say, do you never again drink coffee? Hardly.

The truth is, being told “No” isn't that big of a deal. We get told “No” all the time. So, let me say again, unequivocally, that you are not afraid of rejection. That is to say, you are not afraid of the word “No.” What you’re afraid of is the perceived meaning behind the word “No.” I know that might seem like a distinction without a difference but, stay with me, and I’ll do my best to explain.

When the Starbucks barista told you they were out of Holiday drinks, you took it as a statement of fact. No big deal. Right? You didn't read into the comment, or worry that the gal, in the green apron, disliked you. You simply selected something else to drink. The problem is, when we attempt to do our job, as salespeople, we often turn into mind readers.

For example, let’s say you are a realtor and you ask somebody if they have any plans of buying or selling real estate. When that person says “No” many people immediately turn in mind readers. Meaning, people try to figure out why the person said no. That is to say, they attempt to discern what the prospect means.

One possibility is that the prospect doesn't like them. How could that be possible? Well, some salespeople don’t like the sales profession. As weird as it may sound, there are plenty of salespeople who think sales is a dirty job. This is why a lot of people come up with interesting titles to cover-up the fact that they are salespeople. They might call themselves “account executives” or “territory managers” or “financial planners.” All vain attempts to hide the true nature of their job.

When a person, who does not believe sales is an honorable profession, hears a prospect tell them “No” they often project their own feelings of inadequacy onto the prospect. The salesperson often assumes that the prospect must also dislike selling. And so, by extension, the prospect must not like the salesperson. Nobody likes to be disliked so the salesperson feels uncomfortable. It’s an unfortunate situation on many levels.

If this sounds like you, I encourage you to listen closely. Because, if you don’t adjust your thinking, about the profession of selling, you are likely to end up a statistic. If you feel uncomfortable about being a salesperson that discomfort is the result of fear. You fear that people won’t like you (perhaps even hate you) if they find out you’re a salesperson.

Fear is a natural and, sometimes, healthy emotion. And, what we know is that all emotions stem from our beliefs. So, if you believe that salespeople are greedy, manipulative hucksters, you’re going to have a hard time doing your job. Instead of asking people if they are interested in buying or selling, you will probably waste your time trying to come up with a new way to hide your true identity. Perhaps you will try to engineer a new title for yourself, or runs advertisements trying to get people to call you.

Are salespeople greedy and selfish? Some of them are. Personally, I too get quite frustrated with people who proudly proclaim that they can sell glasses to a blind man. It’s pathetic. If you sell glasses to a blind man, you are not a profession salesperson, you are a con artist. Professional salespeople are problem solvers. In order to do business, a genuine problem must exist.

As an interesting observation, I have never heard this type of con-artistry come from the mouth of a true professional. But, I can’t tell you the number of times I have heard an unemployed person brag that s/he could sell ice to eskimos. Oh, the irony!

There are many reasons salespeople avoid prospecting. And, over time, I will address as many of the reasons as possible. For now, I have highlighted one cause of this avoidance behavior. Salespeople don't prospect because they are afraid. It's not really the word “No” they are afraid of. One of the things some salespeople truly are afraid of is being identified as salespeople. It's too bad.

For this reason, I believe you should frequently work on your attitude towards the profession of selling. America herself was discovered by a salesman. According to Zig Ziglar, there is no way you can accuse Christopher Columbus of being a navigator. Chris was looking for India! He only missed by about 8,000 miles. However, he was able to sell Queen Isabella on the idea of giving him three ships to use to search for a shortcut to India.

Our first president, George Washington, was one of the greatest salesman to ever live. Think about it. How did he recruit the Continental Army? Could you imagine? What was his offer? “Listen boys, you will be working for free and if you don't do a great job you'll be killed. Who's in?” I submit to you that George Washington was one hell of a salesman.

I could go on and on. The truth is, sales is a noble profession. If you can come to internalize the truth of that statement, you will have taken an enormous step towards eliminating the fear that is holding you back from doing your job.