Whether you are selling products or promoting your company's services, chances are good that potential customers will tell you "no" at least a few times per week. Instead of getting upset, you should adjust your sales strategy to embrace that "no" and use it as motivation to work even harder the next time you have a sales call. What will set you apart from other salespeople is not how you react when things go well, but how you adjust your techniques when things don't go the way you planned.
Most sales tips focus on preparing for sales calls or convincing current customers to upgrade to more expensive products and services. They don't prepare you for what you should do if a prospect declines your offer. This is unfortunate, as your sales strategy must include tools for dealing with rejections and planning your next move. Instead of arguing with a prospect or demanding that the person listen to a longer sales pitch, one thing you can do is embrace the response and use it to find out why the customer turned you down.
One of the most common reasons a prospect says "no" is because you have not taken the time to gain his or her trust. If you have not established a relationship, you can't make a two-minute pitch and expect that person to buy something, especially if you sell products or services that cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. You must use a sales strategy that helps you demonstrate your honesty and integrity. If you have taken the time to gain the person's trust, then use the "no" to find out how you can improve as a salesperson.
Your sales strategy should include following up with prospects who have declined your offers, as they can provide valuable insight into your weaknesses as a salesperson. Contact each person who said "no" and ask for feedback. Make sure you did not confuse anyone with technical jargon or unnecessary information. Using technical jargon that prospects do not understand makes it difficult to build trust, so eliminating jargon from your sales strategy should be one of your top priorities.
Embracing a prospect's "no" is also a great way to learn how to handle objections. One of the most-overlooked sales tips is to find out how you can resolve customer objections. Although it may be too late to overcome objections if the prospect has already declined your offer, the information you gather during a follow-up phone call or meeting can help you refine your sales strategy so that fewer people say no in the future. Susan Solovic, a "New York Times" bestselling author, reminds salespeople that every no is just a stepping stone on the way to a yes.
As a salesperson, you must be able to handle rejections gracefully and avoid badgering prospects about why they declined your offers. If you can get some of them to give you feedback, however, you will be able to refine your sales strategy and make better sales pitches as a result.
(Photo courtesy of Ambro / freedigitalphotos.net)
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