Systems News - Used Office Furniture

Link: http://systemsnews.com/newsletter/2008/Nltr01-01-08.pdf

Dealing With "NO"

One of the hardest things for a sales person to deal with is a flat refusal, which is perhaps why cold calling is one of the most disliked activities. If, however, you can turn a refusal into an interesting and valuable experience, then your job can become much more interesting!

Don’t take it personally

It's easy to think, but If you take this position, you are going to be a very sad person. Sales is full of rejections. You need at least to learn to put failures behind you. Look forward. There are many more people out there who are desperate for what you are selling.

Be objective. Separate the problem from the person, just as you might when you are selling. In fact you can sell to yourself the benefits of (this time) not completing the sale.

Leave the door open

Thank the person for their time and for listening. Appreciate their situation and why they are not ready to take things further today (note the assumption that they may be ready another day).

Never take revenge, even with little snide remarks, because that will mean that at minimum they will never buy from you or your company again and maybe they will take revenge on your revenge, such as calling your boss or complaining about aggravation.

Learn from it

Take the opportunity to learn from what happened. Think about the conversation, what was said and how it flowed. Think about the body language and voice tone. Were there any key moments when things went awry? How might it have been different? How might another person act and talk, perhaps a sales person you admire?

After telling them that you accept they are not ready now, you may also ask them for feedback on how you performed as a sales person and how you can be more effective. This can be effective sometimes for re-opening the door as they realize you are a concerned person.