By JOHN KAGECHE
In Summary
- But is rejection the problem? I don’t think so. The fear of rejection is. But even that isn’t the real problem; it is the meaning we give to the rejection that is the problem.
Rejection. The salesman’s nemesis. Rejection. The
leading cause for the high attrition in the sales profession. Rejection.
The foremost reason why most people shun sales.
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Rejection is so painful that many actively avoid it. Sadly
though, for the salesperson, avoiding it is a step backwards towards
safety, and not a step forward into growth.
Rejection manifests itself in different ways. The
ultimate is an emphatic, No! For the uninitiated, it is painful when you
hear “No” for the first time; and it only cuts deeper the fourth and
ninth time. The “No” could be to the product or even by the superstar
salesperson on the novice’s request to understudy him.
Rejection also happens when the prospect agrees to a
meeting with the explicit intention of being unavailable, and then
conspiring with his colleagues to report him absent as he hides in the
kitchen.
Rejection also happens when you are told that you
cannot enjoy company benefits because you are in sales and therefore on
contract.
Rejection can also be from your spouse or siblings
questioning your judgment for choosing sales and even going into denial
on your behalf (“Kageche is doing sales, but we’re still looking to get
him a job” or “He couldn’t get a job so he went to sales”).
You now begin to see why many would rather speak ill of the profession than admit to the real reason why they detest it.
But is rejection the problem? I don’t think so. The
fear of rejection is. But even that isn’t the real problem; it is the
meaning we give to the rejection that is the problem.
I’m not splitting hairs here; the two are as
different as night is from day. When I interpret No to mean that I am
being rejected, then we have a problem.
It is true that one of the ways prospects fend off
salespeople is by abrasively saying No just to hurt them; it’s also true
that the same prospect who said No to your life insurance policy will
probably embrace you whole-heartedly when you tell him that you now sell
loans. How then are you the problem?
If however, you had given meaning to the rejection
as, “something is wrong with me”, with your change in industry, you will
have denied the same prospect a service he needs because you selfishly
interpreted the No.
There is truth in the advice that the salesperson separates himself from his product if he is to manage rejection.
Just like the hawker does when you roll up your
window at his approach — I imagine he takes this to mean, not today, and
casually moves on to the next vehicle.
And when this happens, a whole new world opens. Ask
seasoned salespeople. They will tell you of abrasive prospects turned
clients who now view them with respect for having successfully weathered
the storms of rejection. And such is life, isn’t it? We all admire
those who overcome adversity.
Another demonstration that it is the meaning we
give to rejection that is the problem and not rejection nor the fear of
it, is in this simple logic.
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